The cicadas are active

Blue Ridge Reservoir - Payson, AZ (Coconino County)


by Arizona Game & Fish Department
9-1-2023
Website

The cicadas (pictured below) are active, meaning a dry and dropper combo is a good approach for fly anglers. I like a #10 bead-headed black Simi-seal leach or a wooly bugger as my bottom fly as it resembles a sinking cicada. Lure anglers might try inline spinners or spoons with black on them to resemble a sinking cicada. Only boats with a single 10-horsepower (or less) motor or a single electric motor are allowed on C.C. Cragin Reservoir. The limit is 4 trout. Green sunfish are unlimited and invasive, please remove them if caught. This is the time of year when an algae bloom occurs on the reservoir. This can cause fish to move deep (15-20 feet) and can be difficult to catch. Be cautious of monsoon storms as the Mogollon Rim is notorious for lightning strikes. Reservoir elevation 6,705.03 feet, current volume is at 11,330 acre feet or 75% full and dropping on 8/29/2023.