Arizona White Mountains Fishing Lakes Fishing is a popular sport in the White Mountains area, trout fishing is especially popular.   Whether week-end visit or family vacation, the White Mountains offer an abundance of waterways for fishing.   Several guide services are also located in the White Mountains area to help you plan a   memorable fishing trip. ACKRE LAKE Ackre Lake is a small lake and it looks more like a pond. It is at the end of a windy road a few miles from Hannagan Meadow. This lake is stocked with brook trout. This lake is one of the few that are restricted to lure and fly-fishing in the state. BECKER LAKE Becker Lake has a special side to it. It is the only lake in the state with a closed season. The reason why the Game and Fish Department do this,is because it is such a large lake ,about 85 acres, that this helps them to manage it. The trout in this lake are big and beautiful. There are some regulations to keep the populations high. The idea of this is so the smaller fish have a chance to grow. The lake is two miles northwest of Springerville off of State Rte.60. There is no overnight camping but there is a campground along the highway. There are facilities including a launch area, parking and restrooms. BIG LAKE The water in Big Lake is extremely rich and that means alot of fish are caught here. It is 500 acres and is the queen of the trout lakes and fishermen catch hundreds of thousands of fish a year. Big Lake is a family lake and there are many facilities to help with this. There is a concessionaire that offers boat rentals, ice, gas and alot of the extras that are needed. There is even a fish-cleaning station. There is also camping which makes this lake an overall fishing experience. It is about 40 miles southeast of Pinetop along State Rte. 260 and 273. The last 15 miles is graded gravel CONCHO LAKE Concho Lake is located off of State Rte. 61 between St.Johns and Show Low. At one time it was known for its weeds but the Game and Fish Department used a huge weed cutter to get rid of them. Fly-fishing is good for rainbow and brook trout in this lake. Winter fishing is good here because the lake hardly freezes. Some good size trout are said to be caught here. CRESCENT LAKE Crescent Lake is close to Big Lake and are known for growing fish fast. But during the winters, Crescent Lake has more fish loss because of how shallow it is. Rainbow trout is stocked in the springs and brook trout is able to survive the harsh winters so they are around most of the year and are able to grow to two to three pounds. Fly fishermen like this lake because it is shallow and weedy. You would be able to rent a boat and buy supplies because there is a boat-rental and store.Snow does close the road so the best time to go is in October and November. FOOL'S HOLLOW LAKE In the past, the water would drain from this lake because it is built on top of lava caves and the pressure from the water would crack the roof of the caves and drain the water. But in the past few years the cracks have been plugged. The lake is located on the outskirts of Show Low and has a mixture of different kinds of fish. There is a small boat launch there. GREER LAKES Greer Lakes is a collection of a reservoir and two lakes. They are all clustered about a mile from the community of Greer. River Reservoir is one of them. It is a good place for rainbow trout. Many are caught each summer. There is a boat launch area and only electric motors are allowed on the lake. One of the lakes is Tunnel Lake and has rainbow and brown trout. This lake is popular because of the easy access. Most fishermen fish off of the shore. Tunnel Lake is within walking distance of paved State Route 373, so it is accessible during the winter and is popular for ice fishing. The last lake is Bunch Lake. Bunch is lightly fished compared to the other two. The best time to fish there is from March through May and mostly rainbow and brown trout is caught here. HULSEY LAKE (POND) The spring is the best time on this lake. Hulsey Lake is about seven miles north of Alpine off U.S. Route 666. There is rainbow trout in this lake and is good for kids to fish in. LEE VALLEY LAKE This lake is one of the more spectacular lakes in these mountains. It is on the base of Mount Baldy. The lake has brook trout and grayling, this lake is for lure and fly-fishing only. In spring and summer you can get good action and also in the fall. Access is along State Route 273. Sunrise and Crescent Lakes on both sides. There are restrooms, a parking lot and launch ramp. LUNA LAKE Water from this lake is used by New Mexican farmers to irrigate their land. So this lake has many uses other than just fishing. The reason why New Mexicans use it is because it is only a mile or two from the New Mexican border. This is another lake that is weed-harvasted so it is a good fishing spot for rainbow and brook trout. Some of the facilities that are located there are a launch area, shore fishing, a place to rent a boat and buy supplies and also has a campground. LYMAN LAKE This lake is so big that it is a place where water-skiers ski and plus the fact that it is warm enough. This lake is good for catching a variety of fish. Summer and early fall is the best time to fish here. There are quite a few facilities and ammentities at this lake including camping and swimming. MEXICAN HAY LAKE This lake is based on winter snow melt because if there is not enough then it becomes a hay field. When full it is only 8-10 ft. deep and it is full of weeds. If the water is sufficient then the trout can grow ten to fifteen inches. There are no facilities and it is along Rte. 273 between Springerville and Crescent Lake. NELSON RESERVOIR Access is not a problem with this lake because it is right on U.S. Route 666 south of Springerville. Brook and brown trout are found here and it is popular with shore fishermen. There is a boat launch also at this area along with some picnic areas. There is known to be a few large fish in this lake. RAINBOW LAKE Lakeside is where Rainbow Lake is located. It is about 80 acres large and is better if fished from a boat. There are a variety of fish in this lake, like rainbow and brown trout, also bass and sunfish. The Game and Fish Department has a small area for launching boats and for parking. The rest of the shoreline is privately owned. There is a campground east of the dam that is located on the lake. SCOTTS RESERVOIR Scotts Reservoir has about 80 acres but can be the size of a pond when it goes dry. This Reservoir has a variety of fish like rainbow, bown, and brook trout, plus other kinds. It is north of Lakeside and there are no facilities. Spring is the best time to fish there because summer water can become too warm. SHOW LOW LAKE Show Low Lake has a variety of fish. Some of these are rainbow or brown trout, catfish, bullhead, bass or walleye, and pike. Show Low Lake is located between Show Low and Lakeside and has a launch ramp, a store and boat rentals, also a Navajo County Parks camping area. SIERRA BLANCA LAKE This lake is a small one and is also weedy. During the winter it freezes completely so alot of the fish die off. It is stocked each spring and the fish grow quickly. You have to walk in the last quarter-mile and it is worth it. It is located off of Forest Road 249 between Alpine and Big Lake. WOODLAND RESERVOIR Woodland Reservoir is in town close to main street in Pinetop. A variety of fish are in this lake like bass, catfish, and sunfish and also trout. The serious angler wouldn't like this lake but it is good for the family. Return to Top RETURN