I admit that I was initially excited about the Canyon Creek Hatchery (CCH) Gila trout propagation efforts because I wanted to catch one of the two native trout to Arizona.
While COVID-19 did not keep me from fishing, it did prevent Julia Randall Elementary and Rim Country Middle School kids from participating in the After School Fly Fishers program at both schools for most of the school year.
Normally, the students have two semesters of once a week after school fly-fishing activities to look forward to. In the fall, that includes tying flies for two sessions and then trying the new flies out on the fish at Green Valley Lake during the third weekâs session. This routine continues throughout the semester as they learn new fly patterns, and have the thrill of catching fish on flies that they have tied themselves.
Fishing, like the weather, is heating up at Green Valley Park. Rainbow trout stockings will continue through the end of April and PowerBait, corn, worms, and mealworms seem to bring in trout pretty consistently. Spinners and flies are also working well.
With the water temperatures warming up, the other fish in the lake are becoming more active. Now through early May, the crappies make their shoreline appearance. During the cooler months, and then again when it gets hot, they are deep.
The crappies are the first fish to move into the shallows to spawn. Their numbers close to shore will increase over the next few weeks, so this is a great time to fish Green Valley Lake.
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I love stream improvements. Some are quite simple in design, while others require a great deal of work to install. They are all helpful for fish and fishers.
Trout benefit from these structures as they improve conditions in streams. Sometimes their purpose is to narrow the creek to increase depth, while other improvements provide cover, or enhance poor habitat.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has installed stream improvements on several Rim Country streams over the years, so I am always on the lookout for them when fishing. I know these structures are a great attractor for fish, so I spend extra time fishing around them. If I am not careful in my approach, they are also the first place that trout will swim to seek cover if they have been cruising in the open water nearby.