Fishing and Recreation Fees

                Perhaps the hardest part about fishing on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation is selecting from the many beautiful places a person can go.   Four lakes, numerous small ponds, and the famous Black River allow the angler to fish for a variety of species year-round including largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, black crappie, rainbow trout, brown trout, flathead catfish, channel catfish, and sunfish.  All designated open areas are available to fishing with the Fishing Permit, except that the Black River/Salt River is considered a special recreation area and requires a separate permit.  Boat permits, two pole permits, and annual fishing permits are also available.

San Carlos Lake is the largest body of water in Arizona when it is at full capacity.  The reservoir is in place because of Coolidge Dam, which was built in 1930 and dams the San Carlos and Gila Rivers.  The lake is located 13 miles south of the community of Peridot.  There are several boat ramps and a convenience store located at the lakeside.  This reservoir is most famous for its ability to produce trophy largemouth bass, state-record black crappie and state-record flathead catfish, along with channel catfish.  In any given year, black crappie fishing typically starts early in the year (March – April) when water temperatures reach approximately 60 degrees.  Black crappie form large schools that are typically caught in 15 to 20 ft of water adjacent to brushy shorelines during pre-spawn conditions.  When water temperatures reach the mid-60’s, black crappie move closer to shoreline and begin to spawn in and among the submerged points and cover.  During the peak of spawning, crappie are caught in 2-4 ft of water.  Crappie anglers use a variety of techniques including trolling or drifting crappie jigs, twister tails, or minnows, or still fishing with minnows under a bobber.  During the peak of spawning, shoreline anglers are also successful in catching limits of crappie.  Springtime largemouth bass fishing typically starts shortly after the crappie spawn when water temperatures reach the mid- to upper-60’s.  Largemouth bass begin to move to shallow water adjacent to cover to begin spawning.  Largemouth bass remain near shore until the spawning season is over, during which time fish can be caught using jigs, spinner baits, plastic worms, and top water baits.  After largemouth bass spawn and early-summer approaches, bass can be caught using top water baits early in the morning, and as the day progresses, crank baits and plastic worms near main channel points and drop-offs in 10-15 ft of water become productive.  Carp along the shorelines provide quarry for bow-fishermen.

Talkalai Lake is 600 acres in size and was created by damming the Blue and San Carlos rivers.  Located just a few miles north of the community of San Carlos, this scenic, quiet lake has huge largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish, channel and flathead catfish. Similar to San Carlos Lake, crappie fishing usually starts in early-spring and can be caught on a variety of crappie jigs, twister tails, and minnows in or adjacent to the brush piles.  Fishing for largemouth bass on Talkalai Lake is typical in that crank baits, plastic worms, spinner baits, etc. work well for anglers. Successful bass baits are pretty much unlimited, fish what you have confidence in and you may be rewarded.

Point of Pines Lake is a great high mountain lake, which is 34 acres in size and is surrounded by ponderosa pine forest.  Point of Pines Lake is located off of Indian Road 8 (1000 road) about 50 miles from the junction of Highway 70 and is easily accessible.  The drive to the lake is very scenic and be sure too look out for elk, pronghorn antelope, black bear, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and javelina on your drive.  The lake is stocked annually with rainbow and brown trout, which makes it a great family fishery and camping destination.  The trout angler can often times catch their limit using in-line spinners, Z-rays, Kastmaster spoons, Powerbait, worms, and corn.  Fly-fishing from shore or in a float tube works well for catching either rainbow or brown trout.  Although Point of Pines Lake is stocked annually, several larger rainbow and brown trout can be caught as a result of over summer survival in this higher elevation lake.

 Seneca Lake is managed as both a warm-water and cool-water fishery, offering trophy largemouth bass, channel catfish and red-ear sunfish for anglers during the warmer summer months and rainbow and brown trout during the cooler winter months.  Seneca Lake is located north of Globe on Highway 60.  This lake is 27 acres in size and was designed primarily for recreational fishing.  The lake has a boat ramp and several fishing piers for access.   Try using worms or even fly-fishing for sunfish.  For bass, try spinners and assorted plastic worms rigged Texas-style pitched and flipped into heavy cover.  

 Black River/Salt River Recreation Areas are a true treasure of the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation.  Approximately 108 miles long, these two rivers comprise the northern border of the Reservation.  Many areas of the river are not readily accessible, making it a favorite for people looking more for a wilderness experience in their outings.  Anglers should concentrate their efforts to the deeper, more secluded pools and back eddies along the river.  Artificial baits such as inline spinners and Powerbait grubs are amoung a few favorites for local anglers.  When fishing the Black River, ultra-lite fishing tackle is recommended.

 Stock Ponds are found throughout the Reservation.  There are over 200 ponds and many are stocked with largemouth bass and catfish.  You'll likely have the best success during the spring spawning period.  Have fun exploring!