PHOENIX – Arizona anglers can hook trout, bass and catfish at urban recreation areas in the Phoenix area and around the state after Arizona Game and Fish stocked waters with a quarter million fish.
“We had some money unexpectedly come to us,” said Joann Hill, who oversees a community fishing program that brings fish to man-made lakes like the one at Encanto Park. “There were a couple projects that fell through. The money had to be spent before the end of the fiscal year so it came down from the top – buy some fish.”
Recreation areas in Phoenix, Chandler, Scottsdale, Glendale, Tucson and Yuma are among 39 urban waters recently stocked with fish trucked in from Arkansas.
Arizona Game and Fish workers check pH levels, algae growth and the overall condition of the water before deciding whether to stock it with fish, Hill said. If the water isn’t properly cared for they skip that site and go to the next one on the list.
Anglers also have to follow state rules for fishing at urban lakes.
An angler shows up to catch catfish shortly after Encanto Lake was stocked with fish. (Photo by Madison Conner/Cronkite News)
Fish are trucked in from Arkansas to be stocked at urban lakes across Arizona, like this one at Encanto Park. (Photo by Madison Conner/Cronkite News)