Lake Powell
Sedona, AZ: This is shaping up to be the best fishing year in Arizona in 25 years – this may indeed be the Year of the Pisces.
According to Salt River Project (SRP), the projected runoff from the current snow pack is more than enough to fill Roosevelt Lake – for the first time since the dam was raised in 1996. The tremendous runoff in 2005 almost filled the lake, but was three feet shy at 96-percent full.
“Our most recent runoff forecast is for inflow to exceed the amount necessary to bring Roosevelt Lake to 100 percent capacity,” predicted Mark Hubble, the senior hydrologist with SRP.
Fishery biologists with the Arizona Game and Fish see great things happening this year not just at Roosevelt, but most of the other fishing lakes as well.
“This looks like an historic year in our fisheries, in large part because of the tremendous runoff in 2005 and resulting spawns, but also because of the widespread deep snow pack in the high country we haven’t experienced since at least 1993,” said Fisheries Chief Kirk Young. “The Arizona fishing outlook is the best we’ve seen in 25 years or so.”
Most of the state’s popular high elevation trout lakes should fill-and-spill this year, or have high water levels. Even some ephemeral waters, such as Lower Lake Mary near Flagstaff, should have enough water to be stocked with trout this year.
“In 2005, Lower Lake Mary was transformed from being a large elk meadow into becoming our largest high country trout lake. That could happen again this year,” Young said.
Biologists are also hopeful that the state’s only two natural lakes – Mormon Lake and Stoneman Lake near Flagstaff – will experience significant filling.
The story doesn’t end there.
Young explained that the runoff in 2005 filled most of the inland desert lakes and resulted in a tremendous sport-fish spawn that year. Those abundant sport-fish in the various reservoirs from the 2005 spawn are now three years old, which is a prime spawning age.
Plus, Roosevelt also had significant spawns in 2006 and a decent spawn in 2007. In addition, this year when Roosevelt fills it will inundate around 500 surface acres of habitat that has never been under water before.
“Roosevelt will be going through what we call the ‘new lake syndrome.’ Its productivity will go right off the charts – again. Roosevelt will quite possibly become the best bass and crappie fishery in the Western United States, if it’s not there already,” said Young.
In addition, both Bartlett Lake and Horseshoe Lake have filled – even before the spring runoff commences. Lake Pleasant has also received significant inflows, pumping welcome nutrients into this popular fishery. Alamo Lake west of Wickenburg has also risen significantly the past two months and the fishing outlook there is terrific as well.
The snow pack outlook is also good for the Colorado River lakes, especially Lake Powell. According to the National Weather Service’s Colorado Basin River Forecast Center at www.cbrfc.noaa.gov, the water supply outlook as of February 1 shows the Upper Colorado River watershed at 140 percent of snow pack, the San Juan River watershed at 160 percent, and the Green River watershed at 107 percent.
That is very good news for Lake Powell, which hit record low water levels the last several years. The expected increase in the lake level at Powell should create increased sport-fish reproduction this year. Here’s why. While the lake level is down, vegetation – especially salt cedar – became established on the very fertile exposed lakebed. Much of that vegetation will become inundated this year, providing spawning cover, hiding cover and increased nutrients for sport-fish and bait-fish as well.
If you haven’t bought your license and cleared some time for this spring and summer, this is your wake-up call to do so. You will definitely regret missing this year’s fishing opportunities.
“These are the good ole days anglers will be reminiscing about for years to come. Get out and catch a memory,” Young said.
Article courtesy of Arizona Game and Fish Department.
