Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds light and variable..
Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Owen and Ayden Strogen in a stream searching for crayfish.
A crayfish trap similar to those used in the AZGFD YouTube video.
The dishpan, jug, and landing net fitted with pantyhose completes the “bugging” equipment list to explore a creek for aquatic critters.
Jim Strogen demonstrates how to use the modified landing net to catch aquatic insects in a creek. He is gently kicking the rocks directly upstream of his net so that the dislodged bugs will be captured.
Owen and Ayden Strogen in a stream searching for crayfish.
A crayfish trap similar to those used in the AZGFD YouTube video.
The dishpan, jug, and landing net fitted with pantyhose completes the “bugging” equipment list to explore a creek for aquatic critters.
Jim Strogen demonstrates how to use the modified landing net to catch aquatic insects in a creek. He is gently kicking the rocks directly upstream of his net so that the dislodged bugs will be captured.
Fishing for trout gets tougher as the water temperature warms up. In Woods Canyon Lake and Willow Springs Lake, it is important to fish deep, where the fish are seeking cooler temperatures.
While there are trout stocked in Green Valley Lakes every year, they are only stocked mid-October through mid-May because the lake temperature gets too warm for trout during the summer. I have seen families geared for trout with PowerBait at this time of the year, who leave the lake without a bite. If they had instead targeted bluegills or crappies with mealworms or worms, they would likely have had a much more enjoyable day of fishing.
When the fish are not cooperating, maybe you need to figure out where they are. If you are not catching fish after a reasonable amount of time, move to another location. Often, anglers toss their bobber 40 or 50 feet out into the lake. The bluegills are usually within 20 feet of shore, and sometimes much closer. So don’t cast much past the drop off to have some fun with bluegills at Green Valley Lake, especially when they are on their spawning beds like they are now. Most of the bluegills I have caught lately in Green Valley Lake have been within 10 feet from shore.
The crappies in Green Valley Lake are usually found in deeper water this time of year, but close to structure; so the docks are often a good place to find them about eight to 10 feet down. There are also fish structures at the bottom of the lake near the orange buoys around the lake. Crappies will often be found above those structures about 10 feet under the surface.
These suggestions hopefully will help you catch more fish at the Green Valley Lakes, but if you are fishing other lakes or steams in Rim Country, you might enjoy a couple of other activities if the fish are not cooperating.
Catching crayfish is a great activity to consider if the kids are getting bored with fishing. There probably isn’t a lake or stream that you have fished in Arizona that doesn’t have crayfish. They are not native to Arizona and are considered an unwanted invasive species.
Crayfish not only often out-compete the other species for food, they prey on fish, amphibians, and invertebrates important to the lakes and streams.
You can help your favorite lake or stream by removing a batch to eat. My older grandsons have a lot of fun catching crayfish and enjoy having them for dinner. While our family likes to catch them by hand or with small-meshed nets, this Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) YouTube video (https://youtu.be/WsnK5k47frs) provides advice on catching crayfish, effective traps, how to clean them, and prepare them for a delicious meal.
Remember that if you decide to catch crayfish, that you need an Arizona fishing license and they cannot be transported live from the lake or stream. If you put them in a Ziploc bag under ice, that will kill them and keep them fresh when you bring them home.
While crayfish can be a great bait for bass, they are hearty and quickly adapt to new waters and destroy the habitat important to everything else living in the stream or lake. If you use them for bait, they may only be used in the lake that you collected them from.
Another activity that is fun to do in the creeks around here is what I call “bugging.” My grandkids love to catch the aquatic insects in the creeks, and of course, an occasional crayfish in the process.
The riffle section, which is the relatively shallow, fast water sections of the stream, provides the best dissolved oxygen for stream inhabitants, so that is often where most of the aquatic insects living in the stream will be found. Another good place to look for bugs that prefer slower currents is in pools where there is overhanging grass or bushes.
The simplest way to go bugging is gently lift hand-sized rocks that are not attached to the bottom out of the water and examine them for bug life. You will often find aquatic insects, some of which are very tiny, crawling along the rock surface. You might find gelatinous blobs that are likely snail eggs, or small gravel creations stuck to the rock that are the homes of caddisfly larvae. After you observe what is on the rock, carefully put it back in the riffle so that it is completely submerged to return the bugs to their preferred habitat.
You can use a big aquarium net for the slower sections, but an adaption to your regular landing net will help you with this activity in the faster water. I have taken an old pair of my wife’s pantyhose, cut off the legs, and then put the pantyhose over my landing net.
If you gently kick the rocks just upstream of your net held against the bottom and tilted slightly downstream, it will collect the bugs that were on or under the rocks in the stream.
A small jug and a white dishpan complete the equipment that I always have in my car when grandkids visit. When you collect the bugs, fill the jug with water from the creek, and then turn the net over and pour water through the net where the bugs are clinging, into the dishpan.
This allows you and the kids to get a better look at what lives in the creek besides the fish. You will see their size, shape, color and how they move, which can also inform you about what the fish are eating in that creek.
Certainly, be careful to avoid crayfish claws, but also be aware that there are a few aquatic insects that you should not handle, like the giant water bug, affectionately known as a toe biter. The first giant water bug I saw was close to three inches long and had a baby trout in its grasp. Certainly, scary bugs are the exception, but all of them are very interesting to observe.
When you are done, just carefully empty the dishpan into the creek where you collected from.
Summer is still a great time to go fishing, but be ready to make adjustments to help everyone have fun.
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