We are happy to offer guiding throughout much of Arizona. Our guides are licensed through the State of Arizona and through Blue Mule Outfitters are insured and hold special use permits for the Tonto National Forest, Lake Pleasant Regional Park and the White Mountain Apache Reservation. Our guides have spent thousands of days on the water and are here to help you catch fish, but most importantly make sure your time on the water is enjoyable. Click here for our guide profiles. Arizona Fly Fishing is an authorized booking agent and advertiser for Blue Mule Outfitters and several members of the AZFF team are also independent guides working through Blue Mule Outfitters. Feel free to contact us or Blue Mule Outfitters directly to book a trip.
Trips
Christmas Tree Lake
Nestled in the White Mountains on the East side of Mount Baldy is one of the most prolific dry fly lakes in the Southwest. Christmas Tree is home to the Apache Trout, a native fish to Arizona. If an Apache is on your bucket list there is no better place than Christmas Tree to catch one. The average fish size is 16-18″ and there is also a small population of brown trout in the lake. The fish cruise through large weed beds and pluck dry flies from the surface. We fish lots of ants, beetles, hoppers and Cicadas throughout the summer. We fish this lake from both stable aluminum boats or inflatable 1 and 2 person pontoons depending on your needs. Christmas Tree is a special permit lake with only 20 anglers a day permitted to fish, so there is never too big of a crowd. The lake is open is from June-September. This is a great place for beginners and families as well. We supply all your flies, leaders, tippet as well as lunch. The cost is $450 a day for 1 person and $550 a day for 2 people. If you have a larger group, give us a call and we can work something out. Rods and reels can be provided as well.
Black River
If exploration and adventure is more your style, then our Black River trips are for you. The Black River runs for 80 miles with less than 10 access points, many access points require a good sense of direction and a 4 X 4 vehicle. We have both and want to help you discover some of the most remote parts of this outstanding river. Smallmouth Bass in the lower and mid stretches give way to trout in the upper reaches of the river. There are places where you can catch smallies and trout in the same pools. We access the river through the White Mountain Apache Reservation and/or the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest, these are long bumpy dirt roads that can take a couple of hours bouncing around before arriving to the water. It is some of the most rugged, remote and beautiful country in the state. We have seen just about every form of wildlife on the drives into the river including, Elk, Mule Deer, Mexican Grey Wolves, Black Bears and Turkey to name a few. Once you arrive at the river there is usually some hiking involved, the further you hike, the better the fishing. Although we do have several spots on the river where there is good fishing close to the access. As far as the fishing itself you can really pick your poison. The lower and mid river fish excellent for Smallmouth and these fish are a blast on the fly rod. We have caught smallies up to 4lbs and lots in the 12-18″ range. The are agressive and pull very hard. The middle stretches of river give you a mixed bag of smallies and trout. There are brown trout, Rainbows and Apache Hybrids present. Some of the browns and rainbows can get big, we have seen browns over 5lbs and rainbows over 4lbs. The upper stretches in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest is trout water. The West Fork has small Apaches and the East Fork has Apaches, Rainbows and Browns. If you are up for some adventure, give our Black River Trips a try. We provide transportation from the Pinetop/Show Low area, because of the remoteness of this system be prepared to get your money’s worth on this long day. We generally leave at 6 AM and do not return until 7-8 PM. We provide all flies, leader tippet and lunch, we can also provide rod and reel if needed. Waders can be needed in the early and late season and are not provided. The cost for this trip is $425 for 1-2 people or $550 for extended days.
White Mountain Lakes
Have you ever tried to catch 5 species of trout in a day? Well in the lakes of the White Mountains you can do just that, catch a brown, brook, rainbow, apache and cutthroat. We typically start these days at Pacheta Lake for the Brown, Rainbow and possible Apache Trout then off to Big Lake for the Cutthroat, the Brook Trout are found in Crescent Lake and finish up at Lee Valley or Sunrise. It is far from a sure thing to catch all 5 in the same day and it make take several attempts to achieve all species in a day, but it is sure fun to try and see some awesome country along the way. If you are looking to become more familiar with some of the best lakes in the state, this is a great way to do it. Every lake has its own personality and we use different tactics on each lake. Your day starts in Pinetop/Show Low early and we cover lots of ground. If a certain lake is on fire, you may decide to just spend all day there. We provide all flies, leader, tippets and lunch, rods and reels can be supplied if needed. We will be fishing from stable aluminum boats or 1-2 person inflatable pontoons depending on what you want. The price for this trip is $375 for 1-2 anglers and extended days are $550 for 1-2 people.
Backcountry Adventures
Once you get off the beaten path, Arizona has places that see very few people and there are opportunities to get at some big fish. Many of these places take a couple of days to get into, fish and get out of. This is best accomplished by spending a night or two in the backcountry. We use outfitter tents, equipped with cots and a woodstove to make your time roughing it a little easier. We take care of everything from the fishing to the food to the transportation. Imagine waking up next to a stream, having some coffee and breakfast, then heading out in the search of big fish. The locations of these trips is dependent on the time of year and are in locations that we do not advertise. The fishing can vary on these trips as well. We have spots where you can typically catch lots of average sized fish or places where you may not catch a ton of fish, but rather are in search of a trophy. The pricing of these trips can vary greatly depending on the details. Give us a call to set up an unforgettable excursion into the Arizona Wilderness.
Lake Pleasant
Lake Pleasant is located just outside the Phoenix Metropolitan area. It is the perfect place to get some fishing in during your visit or business trip to the Phoenix. Lake Pleasant has a good population of Largemouth Bass, some Smallmouth Bass, White Bass and over the past few years the Striped Bass have really started to take over. The average schoolie striper in the lake is in the 20-24″ range and are an absolute blast on the Fly Rod. A day of chasing striper boils is sure to get your heart racing. We shift all of our focus to this lake during the Spring, especailly April when the spawn is in full effect. We use Bass Boats with ample room for 2 fly anglers to cast and a big motor to get us to where we need to be in a hurry. We use rods in the 6-8wt range throwing big flies and often heavy sinking tips, although we do get topwater opportunities throughout the spring, summer and fall. This trip will be $425 for 1-2 anglers. We provide leader, tippet, flies and rods/reels if necessary. We also provide lunch.
Salt River
New to the sport or just have some time to kill on your business trip to the Valley and want to wet a line? The Salt may be just for you. The Salt is located about 30 minutes from most places in the Phoenix area and has been fishing pretty good the past year. The are trout stocked throughout the winter and we are seeing some holdover trout as well from last year’s stockings. These holdovers are in the 15-18″ range after only a year!!! With good flows predicted throughout 2010, this could be the best year the Salt has seen ever. We can wade or float the river depending on flows. There are also many Largemouth Bass in the 10-14″ range and the topwater bite during the summer can be a lot of fun. We also host many of our fly fishing schools on the Salt, so if you just want to get out and improve your skills, this is a great place to do it. Since it is so close to home, we are also able to offer 1/2 days on the water. The Cost for a full day is $350 for 1 angler and $425 for 2 anglers. A 1/2 day(4 hours) is $225 for 1 -2 anglers, a full day is $350 for 1-2 anglers. We provide flies, leader, tippet and lunch for the full day trips. We can provide rods and reels, but you must have your own waders and boots.