Lake Fishing in Arizona — Nine Lakes, from Desert Bass to Mountain Trout
Striped bass without a limit on Lake Powell, crappie and bass an hour from Phoenix, and cold trout lakes at the top of the Mogollon Rim: the lakes, the rules that govern them, and where to sleep.
Curated by Our Guild Explorers · Checked against Arizona Game and Fish, the National Park Service and the Forest Service, 1 November 2026
Arizona is a desert state with a great deal of fishing water in it, and almost all of it is lake. The Colorado River is dammed into Lake Powell, Lake Mohave and Lake Havasu along the state’s northern and western edges; the Salt River is dammed into a chain of lakes east of Phoenix, Roosevelt and Saguaro among them; the Agua Fria fills Lake Pleasant on the city’s north-west edge. Then, two hours up the road and more than six thousand feet higher, there are the cold trout lakes of the Rim and the White Mountains.
This is the companion to the Arizona part of our fly fishing book, written for everyone else — families with a spinning rod, bass anglers with a boat, trollers, and people who just want a lake, a cabin and a fish for supper. Everything below that is a rule, a limit or a price was read from the agency that sets it on 1 November 2026, and is dated. Where we could not confirm something, we say so.
Book it. Then Hook it. (Catch & Release)
Destinations Guild is a travel reservation site as well as a fishing library. Every lake on this page has a town beside it, and each town has two buttons: hotels, pinned to that exact Arizona town on Trip.com, and vacation homes — the cabins and houses a party of three or four actually wants, with a kitchen, a freezer for the catch and somewhere to park the boat.
Hotels are booked through our partner Trip.com; vacation homes through our partner Booking.com. Destinations Guild earns a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you.
The best months, in plain words
Arizona’s lakes run on two calendars, set by altitude. Get this right and everything else is easy.
| Lake | Height | Best months | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saguaro Lake | Desert, about 1,500 ft | October–December and February–mid-April | The Forest Service, quoting Bass Master magazine, names these as the best time for trophy bass. |
| Lake Pleasant, Roosevelt Lake | Desert | Autumn, winter and spring | Our guidance: the same desert pattern as Saguaro. In summer, fish at first light and be off the water by mid-morning. |
| Lake Havasu, Lake Mohave | Low desert, on the Colorado River | Autumn to spring | Our guidance: summer heat here is dangerous. Rainbow trout are released near Willow Beach on Fridays, says the Park Service. |
| Lake Powell | High desert, Page | Spring and autumn | Our guidance: the Park Service names no best months. Spring and autumn are the comfortable seasons; summer is the busy one. |
| Woods Canyon Lake | Mogollon Rim, 7,600 ft | April–October | The lake store opens April to October, weather permitting, and the roads close to cars once snow lies. |
| Big Lake, Becker Lake | White Mountains | Late spring to autumn | Our guidance: high-country trout water. Campgrounds and the store are seasonal — check the Forest Service before you drive. |
Where a row says “our guidance”, that is our own plain advice, not an agency rule.
Lake Powell — the big one, and the striped bass have no limit
Arizona and Utah share it. One licence from either state covers the whole lake.
Lake Powell, from Page and Wahweap
What swims there. Striped bass, smallmouth and largemouth bass, walleye, crappie, channel catfish and bluegill — all introduced since Glen Canyon Dam was finished. The native fish of the old river, the razorback sucker, humpback chub, bonytail and Colorado pikeminnow, are protected and go straight back.
How people fish it. Mostly by boat: trolling and casting for stripers in the open water, working the rocky points and canyon walls for smallmouth. Families fish from shore near the marinas. Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas rents houseboats, powerboats and smaller watercraft, with its resort at Wahweap near Page and lodging at Bullfrog and Halls Crossing up-lake.
The striped bass are the point. There is no limit on them, and the Park Service lets you use dead striped bass and dead Lake Powell shad as bait and chum — but only in Lake Powell. Keep and eat stripers by all means, but read the mercury advisory first.
Confirmed with the National Park Service, 1 November 2026 — Glen Canyon National Recreation Area’s fishing page: “A license from one state is valid on all of Lake Powell”, provided you “follow the angling regulations that apply to the state where you are fishing.” Arizona portion: “All persons 10 years of age and older must have a valid fishing license”; Utah portion, 11 and older. 2025–26 possession limits: “Limit 20 smallmouth bass. Limit 5 largemouth bass. Limit 10 crappie. Limit 25 channel catfish. No limit on striped bass. No limit on walleye.” A joint Utah–Arizona mercury advisory covers striped bass “in the southern portion of Lake Powell from mile 43 to the dam.” Quagga mussels are confirmed above and below the dam, so “all boaters and fishermen must clean, drain, and dry their boats and all equipment.” Arizona Game and Fish adds: “As of Jan. 1, 2019, a Utah stamp is no longer needed for a licensed Arizona angler to fish on Lake Powell.”
Nearest town: Page, Arizona. Below the dam the Colorado runs cold and clear to Lees Ferry — that is trout water, and it is in our fly fishing book.
Lake Havasu and Lake Mohave — the Colorado River lakes
Boundary water with California and Nevada. Your Arizona licence is all you need.
Lake Havasu, at Lake Havasu City
What swims there. Havasu is best known as a bass lake — largemouth and smallmouth — with striped bass, catfish and big sunfish as well. We could not read Arizona Game and Fish’s own lake page today, so check the species and the Havasu limits with them before you go.
How people fish it. By boat, mostly, along the coves and the rocky shoreline; and from shore at the state park. Lake Havasu State Park, beside the London Bridge, has three boat ramps, campsites and beachside cabins.
Confirmed with Arizona State Parks and Arizona Game and Fish, 1 November 2026 — Arizona State Parks: “The park offers three boat ramps, 54 campsites, 13 beachside cabins”; the park is “open 24 hours, year-round”; entrance was listed at $20 per vehicle Monday to Thursday and $25 Friday to Sunday and holidays. Arizona Game and Fish: the Arizona licence includes “privileges that allow fishing from the shore or from a boat on any portion of the Colorado River and impounded waters (e.g., Lake Mead, Lake Mohave, Lake Havasu) that form mutual boundaries between Arizona and California, or Nevada.” Havasu’s own lake limits: check with Arizona Game and Fish.
Nearest town: Lake Havasu City.
Lake Mohave, from Bullhead City and Willow Beach
What swims there. Striped bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, channel catfish, bluegill and crappie — the fish the Park Service lists for Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which takes in Lake Mohave. The trout are the surprise in the desert: they are released near Willow Beach, at the cold upper end below Hoover Dam, every Friday.
How people fish it. Boat or shore, any hour of the day or night, and from two fishing piers — one at Willow Beach, one at Katherine Landing near Bullhead City. The Park Service’s own bait suggestions are plain and practical: anchovies, shad and lures for stripers; cheese and marshmallows for the trout.
Confirmed with the National Park Service and Arizona Game and Fish, 1 November 2026 — Lake Mead National Recreation Area: “Rainbow Trout are routinely released near Willow Beach on Fridays”; “Fishing is allowed 24 hours a day from watercraft, shores or on the park’s two fishing piers located at Willow Beach and Katherine Landing on Lake Mohave”; “You must carry a valid Nevada or Arizona fishing license to fish Lake Mead or Lake Mohave.” Arizona Game and Fish: Lake Mohave limits are 5 trout, unlimited striped bass, 15 crappie and 25 catfish. Razorback sucker is on Arizona’s protected list: protected fish “may not be angled for, taken, possessed, pursued or captured.”
Nearest town: Bullhead City for Katherine Landing; Willow Beach is on the Arizona shore in Black Canyon, below Hoover Dam.
Lake Pleasant, Saguaro Lake and Roosevelt Lake — the Phoenix lakes
Bass and crappie within an easy drive of the city, best in the cooler half of the year.
Lake Pleasant, north-west of Phoenix
What swims there. Bass, crappie and striped bass; the stripers are unlimited here as at Powell. It is a big, busy recreation lake inside a Maricopa County regional park, with a marina, Scorpion Bay, and boat-in camping.
How people fish it. By boat for stripers and bass; from shore along the park’s shoreline access points. Spear-fishing for stripers is allowed.
Confirmed with Maricopa County Parks and Arizona Game and Fish, 1 November 2026 — Maricopa County: main entrance “May 1 to October 31 – 5 am to 9 pm daily / November 1 to April 30 – 6 am to 8 pm daily”; address 41835 N. Castle Hot Springs Rd., Morristown. Arizona Game and Fish: “15 crappie per day bag limit” at Lake Pleasant, and “unlimited for striped bass, striped bass may be taken by spear or spear gun.” Entry fees: check Maricopa County Parks; we could not confirm today’s figure.
Nearest town: Peoria, on the north-west side of the Phoenix area.
Saguaro Lake, east of Mesa
What swims there. Largemouth bass above all — and big ones. Bluegill in every size; walleye, crappie, smallmouth and yellow bass now and then. More than 2,200 fish-habitat structures have been sunk to improve the fishing.
How people fish it. Boat anglers work the canyon walls; the quieter upper, eastern end is the place to escape the weekend crowd. Saguaro Lake Marina rents boats. On busy days the boat parking fills and trailers are turned away at the entrance — arrive early.
Confirmed with the Forest Service and Arizona Game and Fish, 1 November 2026 — Tonto National Forest’s Saguaro Lake page: “Over 2200 fish-habitat structures were installed to enhance fishing on the lake. According to Bass Master Magazine, the best time for trophy bass is October to December and February to mid April. There are large bass in the lake; fish census show that 12+ lb. bass and 30-lb. Carp exist in the depths.” “On busy days, once Boat Parking is at capacity, vehicles towing boats will be turned away at the entrance.” Directions: from Mesa, 27 miles north on State Highway 87, then 4 miles on the Bush Highway. Arizona Game and Fish: 15 crappie per day. Saguaro is a Tonto National Forest fee site: you need a Tonto Pass, and a boat needs a Watercraft Use Sticker — sold at Forest Service offices and many shops around Phoenix.
Nearest town: Mesa.
Roosevelt Lake, between Globe and Payson
What swims there. Roosevelt is the largest lake entirely within Arizona, and it is known first as a bass and crappie lake. We could not read Arizona Game and Fish’s own Roosevelt page today, so check its current limits with them.
How people fish it. By boat, across a very large lake — Roosevelt Lake Marina rents boats and has slips — and from shore at the Forest Service sites around it. It is a long way from anywhere: bring what you need.
Confirmed with the Forest Service, 1 November 2026 — Tonto Basin Ranger District: “Roosevelt Lake (the largest lake completely within Arizona) and Apache Lake are within this district”, with “many opportunities for boating, fishing, skiing, and camping.” District office: 28079 N. Arizona Highway 188, Roosevelt. Fee sites on the Tonto take a Tonto Pass. Roosevelt’s own bag limits: check with Arizona Game and Fish.
Nearest towns: Globe to the south-east, Payson to the north.
Woods Canyon Lake, Big Lake and Becker Lake — the cool trout lakes
When Phoenix is at 110°F, these are the lakes Arizonans drive to. Summer and autumn water.
Woods Canyon Lake, on the Mogollon Rim
What swims there. Stocked rainbow and tiger trout. It is a small lake — fifty acres — and a family one, built by Arizona Game and Fish in 1958.
How people fish it. From shore, or from a small boat: electric motors and paddle craft only, no gas engines. The Woods Canyon Lake Store rents boats and sells licences, tackle and bait. It is popular in summer — if the lot by the store is full, there is overflow parking on the hill above.
Confirmed with the Forest Service, 1 November 2026 — Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests: “Woods Canyon Lake is a 50 acre fishing lake developed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department in 1958”, about 30 miles east of Payson; “regularly stocked with Rainbow and Tiger Trout”; “Only small boats with electric trolling motors or paddle craft are allowed. No gas motors are allowed.” In winter, “once there is adequate snow on the ground the Rim Lakes Recreation Area, including Woods Canyon Lake closes to wheeled motor vehicles.” The store’s own site: “Open April thru October weather permitting.” Directions: east from Payson on Highway 260 to milepost 282, north on Forest Road 300 a little over 3 miles, then Forest Road 105 for one mile.
Nearest town: Payson.
Big Lake, in the White Mountains
What swims there. Trout — this is the White Mountains’ best-known trout lake, and its five campgrounds are even named after trout: Apache Trout, Rainbow, Grayling, Brookchar and Cutthroat. We could not read Arizona Game and Fish’s own stocking notes today, so ask at the store what has been stocked lately.
How people fish it. Boat, float tube or shore. The Big Lake Store rents boats and sells licences, bait and tackle; there is a marina boating site on the lake.
Confirmed with the Forest Service, 1 November 2026 — Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Big Lake: “There are five campgrounds at the Big Lake Recreation Area complex”, and “the Big Lake Store offers boat rentals, fishing licenses, bait and tackle”. Arizona Game and Fish’s regulations name no special rule for Big Lake that we could find; the statewide trout limit of four applies unless they say otherwise. Check before you fish.
Nearest towns: Greer, and Springerville further east.
Becker Lake, at Springerville — the catch-and-release lake
What swims there. Trout, with bass and catfish as well. Becker is the one lake on this page where every trout goes back, and the rules are written for fly fishers and lure fishers who want bigger fish, not a full cooler.
How people fish it. Float tube, small boat or shore, with flies or lures only, and a barbless hook.
Confirmed with Arizona Game and Fish, 1 November 2026 — 2025–26 regulations, Becker Lake: “Catch-and-release only for trout … artificial fly and lure only; single-pointed barbless hooks only. Unlimited smallmouth and largemouth bass; unlimited channel and flathead catfish.”
Nearest town: Springerville.
Want a guide on the high lakes? Several of the Arizona guides in our checked outfitters directory fish the White Mountain lakes and the Rim, including drift-boat days on the high lakes.
The licence and the limits, plainly
One Arizona licence covers every lake on this page — including the boundary lakes.
Who needs one, what it costs, how long it lasts
From ten. Children under ten fish free. Everyone ten and over needs a licence — resident or visitor.
A year from the day you buy it. Not a calendar year, so a licence bought for an October trip is good until the following October.
Short trip? Buy by the day. The short-term combination licence is sold by the day, and the days need not be consecutive.
The boundary lakes need nothing extra. The old Colorado River stamps for California and Nevada are gone; the Arizona licence covers Havasu and Mohave from shore or boat, and Lake Powell needs no Utah stamp.
Confirmed with Arizona Game and Fish, 1 November 2026 — 2025–26 Fishing Regulations: “A valid fishing or combination license is required for resident and non-resident anglers 10 years of age or older”; “Youth under the age of 10 … do not need to purchase a state fishing license”; “Licenses are valid one year from date of purchase.” Prices listed (resident / non-resident): General Fishing $37 / $55; Combination Hunt and Fish $57 / $160; Youth Combination Hunt and Fish, ages 10–17, $5 / $5; Short-term Combination Hunt and Fish $15 / $20 a day. “Special-use stamps (… Colorado River Stamp-California, Colorado River stamp-Nevada …) are no longer required or available.” Prices change. Buy from Arizona Game and Fish, or from a licensed dealer such as the lake stores named on this page, and check the price when you buy.
Statewide daily bag limits — unless a lake says otherwise
| Fish | Daily bag |
|---|---|
| Trout | 4, any combination |
| Bass (largemouth and smallmouth) | 6, any combination |
| Striped bass | 10 |
| Walleye | 6 |
| Catfish (channel and flathead) | 10, any combination |
| Crappie | Unlimited |
| Sunfishes | Unlimited |
The lake rules on this page override these: no limit on stripers at Powell, Pleasant and Mohave; 15 crappie at Pleasant and Saguaro; catch-and-release trout at Becker. You may keep twice the daily bag in your possession.
Confirmed with Arizona Game and Fish, 1 November 2026 — statewide limits as printed in the 2025–26 regulations; possession limit “twice (2x) the daily bag limit.” The booklet covers “Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2026.” Lake Powell limits are those of the National Park Service quoted above.
Boat hire, ramps and lake stores we have checked
Real businesses, each with its own website, which we opened on 1 November 2026. No ratings, no paid placements.
Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas — Wahweap, Bullfrog and Halls Crossing
The lake’s big marina operator: houseboats, powerboats and smaller watercraft, guided boat tours, and the Lake Powell Resort at Wahweap near Page. lakepowell.com
Willow Beach Marina & Campground — Lake Mohave, Arizona side
Pontoons, fish skiffs, kayaks and canoes for hire in Black Canyon below Hoover Dam — the trout end of the lake — with a camp store, grill and campground. willowbeachharbor.com
Saguaro Lake Marina — Saguaro Lake, Mesa
Boat rentals (deck boats), guest slips and a ship’s store on the lake. saguarolakemarina.com
Roosevelt Lake Marina — Roosevelt Lake
Boat rentals, guest slips and a store, with room for fishing boats and houseboats alike. rlmaz.com
Woods Canyon Lake Store — Woods Canyon Lake
Boat rentals, fishing tackle, groceries and fishing licences, at 7,600 feet on the Rim; open April to October, weather permitting. woodscanyonlakeaz.com
Also on the water, named by the agencies but not opened by us today: the Big Lake Store (named by the Forest Service), Scorpion Bay Marina on Lake Pleasant (named by Maricopa County), and the three boat ramps of Lake Havasu State Park (Arizona State Parks).
Where to stay
Every town below is pinned to its own Trip.com city number, so the button opens that Arizona town’s hotels — not a namesake in another state.
The towns that serve each lake
Lake Powell: Page, beside Wahweap. Lake Havasu: Lake Havasu City. Lake Mohave: Bullhead City for Katherine Landing. Lake Pleasant: Peoria and the north-west Valley. Saguaro Lake: Mesa. Roosevelt Lake: Globe or Payson. Woods Canyon Lake: Payson. Big Lake: Greer. Becker Lake: Springerville.
Three or four of you? Take a house, not four hotel rooms. A cabin in Greer or Payson, or a house in Lake Havasu City with room for the boat trailer, gives you a kitchen for the early breakfast, a freezer for what you keep, and one bill instead of four. Our vacation homes guide has the questions to ask before you pay.
Page hotels › Lake Havasu City hotels › Bullhead City hotels › Peoria hotels › Mesa hotels › Globe hotels › Payson hotels › Greer hotels › Springerville hotels ›
Questions
Do I need a fishing licence to fish a lake in Arizona, and from what age?
Yes, from ten. Arizona Game and Fish’s 2025–26 regulations require a licence for resident and non-resident anglers ten and over; under-tens fish free. A General Fishing licence was listed at $37 for residents and $55 for non-residents, valid one year from the date you buy it; a short-term combination licence at $15 a day for residents and $20 for non-residents. Check the current price when you buy.
Does my Arizona licence cover Lake Powell, Lake Havasu and Lake Mohave?
Yes. Arizona Game and Fish says the Arizona licence covers shore and boat fishing on the Colorado River lakes shared with California and Nevada, and the old Colorado River stamps are no longer needed. The Park Service says a valid Utah or Arizona licence is good on all of Lake Powell — follow the rules of the state you are fishing in.
Is there a limit on striped bass at Lake Powell?
No. The Park Service’s 2025–26 list says no limit on striped bass or walleye; 20 smallmouth, 5 largemouth, 10 crappie and 25 channel catfish. There is a mercury advisory for striped bass in the southern part of the lake, from mile 43 to the dam.
Which Arizona lake has special catch-and-release rules?
Becker Lake at Springerville: catch-and-release only for trout, artificial fly and lure only, single-pointed barbless hooks only. Bass and catfish there are unlimited.
When is the best time to fish Arizona’s lakes?
It depends on the height. The desert lakes fish best in the cool months — the Forest Service, quoting Bass Master, names October to December and February to mid-April for trophy bass at Saguaro. The Rim and White Mountain lakes are summer and autumn water; Woods Canyon’s store opens April to October, and the Rim roads close once snow lies.
What we could not check today, and will not pretend to have
The part of a fishing page most sites leave out.
Four honest gaps
Arizona Game and Fish’s own lake pages. We read the department’s full regulations booklet, but its website turned us away today, so the species lists and stocking notes for Havasu, Roosevelt and Big Lake are our plain description, not the department’s. Check each lake’s limits with Arizona Game and Fish before you keep a fish.
Park entry fees. We confirmed Lake Havasu State Park’s and the Tonto’s pass system, but not today’s entry fee at Lake Pleasant or the Glen Canyon entrance fee. Check with Maricopa County Parks and the Park Service.
No fishing guides listed for the desert lakes. We list only guides we have checked, and we have checked the fly fishing guides in our outfitters directory — not yet the bass and striper guides on Powell, Pleasant and Havasu. They will be added at the same standard.
Lake levels. The Colorado River lakes rise and fall, and ramps open and close with them. Maricopa County expects Lake Pleasant to stay within normal ranges in 2026; for Powell and Mohave, check the Park Service’s current conditions before you tow a boat.