Fishing At Show Low Lake Arizona

Show Low Lake, once and under-funded county park, is now an incredible state resource. It's a sterling example of how private industry and the Game and Fish Department can, and do, work together to improve our resources. Improved camping sites, paved parking and a minimum right of way guaranteed along the lake greet today's angler. Add state Lake Improvement Funds that were allocated in 1990 (an extra $200,000 was spent on this lake, including improvements to the dock), and this is one of the White Mountains' best.

Show Low Lake was originally created in 1951 when Phelps Dodge, one of Arizona's mining giants, purchased a parcel of land near Show Low. At the time, the company needed an additional source of water for its Morenci operation. A dam was built and the water impounded there soon became known as Show Low Lake. Phelps Dodge also entered into an agreement with the Game and Fish Department to manage the resource "in perpetuity" for the good of Arizona. -G.J. Sagi, from the essential travel handbook Fishing Arizona

Attention walleye anglers – Show Low Lake is the best place in Arizona to catch lunker walleye! It has yielded the last five state records, and numerous “Big Fish-of-the-Year Program” walleye catches. Local resident Gregg Munck caught the existing state record walleye here in November 2002. It weighed in at a whopping 16 lbs., 2 ozs. Anglers can also catch trout, catfish, bass and pan fish here.

Show Low Lake has 100 surface acres with an average depth of 33 feet and maximum depth of 50 feet. It’s situated at an elevation of 6,500 feet. The lake maintains good water quality year round, and is stocked with rainbow trout from April through September. The Department occasionally stocks channel catfish. The lake also contains reproducing populations of walleye, largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill and green sunfish.

Trout fishing from the shore is always possible because the lake doesn't’t get weedy. Many trout survive the winter here and can get quite large. Try trolling spinners in early spring to catch one of these fat trout. For stocked trout, try Power Bait or night crawlers. Walleye fishing is best in spring and fall. Try fishing rocky bottom structures or by the dam with crank baits or jigs. Stay in the shallows and fish at dawn or dusk to improve catching odds. For the lunkers, try large crank baits in the shallows or along the shoreline, or bounce a night crawler rig slowly on the bottom. Catfishing can be exciting here. A 32-pound channel catfish was recently caught that threatened the State Record. Fish for catfish on summer or fall nights, using chicken liver, night crawlers or waterdogs as bait. In spring, channel catfish and walleye congregate at the upper end, where Show Low Creek flows into the lake. Small bass and sunfish can be caught with night crawlers in the rocks along the dam. Show Low Lake is open year round. - Arizona Game and Fish

Map of Show Low Lake Arizona

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Directions to Show Low Lake Arizona

Show Low Lake is adjacent to the Show Low Lake Rd., about 1 mile from Highway 260. Access Show Low Lake Rd. from the traffic light between Wal-Mart and Navapache Regional Medical Center Hospital in Show Low. - Arizona Game and Fish

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