Best Fishing Times in Arizona This Week
Near Page, Lake Havasu City and Show Low: today on a 24 hour timeline and the next seven days rated Fair to Best.
Working out the moon and the sun for Page, AZ, and reading the forecast.
Fishing somewhere else? Enter any ZIP for your own spot
Photo: “Fall fishing on the Madison River at sunrise”, Jacob W. Frank, Yellowstone National Park (NPS), Public domain
Arizona at a glance
Solunar windows plus the agency calendarWhen fish bite in Arizona
Arizona's fishing year runs from channel catfish stocked in city lakes each spring and fall and good warmwater bass fishing by May to fall trout near shore and winter trout in deeper river pools.
Each entry below is from Arizona Game and Fish Department or its published guides, quoted word for word and linked. Line the season up with the week above: a run in its prime and a Great day with a window at first light is the morning to take off.
- Spring and fall
Channel catfish
In 2025, channel catfish were set to be stocked about every two weeks through spring and fall at more than 50 city park lakes and ponds across Arizona.
“At more than 50 city park lakes and ponds across Arizona, AZGFD expects to stock between 210,000 and 220,000 pounds — more than 100 tons — of channel catfish in two-week intervals (approximately) over the course of the spring and fall seasons this year.”
AZGFD Fishing Report - April 2025, Arizona Game and Fish Department, read October 9, 2026 - Late spring
Bass, catfish and carp
As summer approaches and the weather warms, fishing for warmwater species such as bass, catfish and carp is good.
“Summer is right around the corner and the weather is starting to warm up. For those of you who are willing to brave the heat, fishing for warmwater species such as bass, catfish, and carp is really good right now.”
AZGFD Fishing Report - May 2025, Arizona Game and Fish Department, read October 9, 2026 - Fall
Trout, walleye and pike
In fall, trout, walleye and pike often come close to shore in shallow water looking for baitfish and crayfish.
“In the fall cold (trout) and tepid (walleye and pike) water species will often come close to shore in shallow water searching for food (lethargic baitfish and crayfish).”
AZGFD Fishing Report - December 2025, Arizona Game and Fish Department, read October 9, 2026 - Winter
Trout
In winter, river trout move into deeper, slower water, and lures fished slowly along the bottom of the deeper pools should work best.
“My favorite lures for trout in the winter are silver Kastmasters in a variety of sizes, worms under a bobber with some split-shot, and ⅛-ounce black or white Marabou jigs. In the rivers the trout will be moving into the deeper, slower-moving water; fishing these lures slow and along the bottom in the deeper pools should yield the best results.”
AZGFD Fishing Report - December 2025, Arizona Game and Fish Department, read October 9, 2026
Reading the Arizona timeline
Each day has two major solunar periods of about two hours, centered on the moon overhead and underfoot, and two minor periods of about an hour at moonrise and moonset. A window within an hour of sunrise or sunset is marked in gold. The rating adds the moon phase, the gold windows and a capped nudge from the National Weather Service forecast for each town. Every factor and its points.
Dawn and dusk are the reliable part; the moon windows are the old angler’s rule.
