Luna Lake

Luna Lake is the last chance to fish in eastern Arizona before the New Mexico state line. Large, scenic, with lots of visitor amenities and close to the town of Alpine, Luna Lake offers good spring and early summer fishing for locals and visitors alike. The Luna Lake Wildlife Area that encompasses the upper end of the lake is also a good place to observe waterfowl. This lake holds the current state record for cutthroat trout at 6 pounds, 5 ounces.

Luna Lake is a 154-acre impoundment of the upper San Francisco River. It has a maximum depth of 21 feet and an average depth of 8 feet. It’s stocked annually with fingerling and sub-catchable rainbow and cutthroat trout, which rapidly grow to catchable size due to the high productivity of the lake. Because it is a shallow, nutrient-rich lake, it is subject to water quality problems and excessive weed growth. The Department annually harvests weeds to help alleviate some of the water quality problems.

Trolling with flies works well in spring and early summer at Luna Lake. Try wooly buggers, a prince nymph and other large wet flies. Night crawlers and Power Bait fished off the bottom also work well. As water temperatures go up in the summer, fish in deeper, cooler water. - Arizona Game and Fish

Luna Lake has an incredible history. Believe it or not, back in 1958 this was one of the sites in Arizona where Kokanee salmon were stocked. Brown trout were added to Luna in 1935, rainbows in 1937 and brook trout in 1943. Unfortunately, in the fall of 2002, the lake suffered a bad fish kill-off, although once water quality improved, the Arizona Game and Fish Department immediately restocked trout.

The best months to visit Luna are September, October and November, at least if you want a full stringer. -G.J Sagi, from the essential travel handbook Fishing Arizona

GPS:

Latitude: 33° 49' 44.92"N Longitude: 109° 05' 22.56"W

Phone Numbers for more information::

Alpine Ranger District (928) 339-5000

Restrictions/Season of Use:

Luna Lake Wildlife Area, which covers only the uppermost end of the lake, is closed to public entry annually from April 1 through July 31. Statewide fishing regulations apply at Luna Lake.

Road Conditions:

Paved to dirt

Land Ownership:

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest

Ranger Station/District:

Alpine Ranger District (928) 339-5000

Entrance Fees/Permits:

No unless the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest has it posted otherwise

Elevation:

7890 feet

Max Surface Acres:

75

River Lake Impounds:

San Francisco River

Average Depth:

10

Bag Limit:

The bag limit is six trout; three for unlicensed anglers under the age of 14.

Boat/Engine Restrictions:

Electric Trolling motors or 10 horse max outboards are allowed on Luna Lake

Boats to Rent:

No

Swimming:

No

Camping:

The Luna Lake Campground, which includes 40 individual fee-camping sites, three group sites, picnic tables, restrooms and drinking water, is located on Forest Service lands about ¼-mile north of the lake. Reserve a site at Luna Lake Campground by visiting www.reserveusa.com on the web or by calling 1-877-444-6777. In addition, a concessionaire operates a small store near the dam where you can purchase tackle, bait, drinks, snacks or rent a boat.

Electricity:

No

Launching Area:

Yes

Water Skiing:

No

Marinas:

No

Luna Lake lies at 7,890 feet on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. It is located about 3 miles east of Alpine, just north of U.S. Highway 180. It’s accessible year-round, but ices over in winter months. Ice fishing is usually possible, but always check ice conditions before setting out