Even though Mesa, Arizona, sits in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, it still has plenty of lakes, rivers, and streams that offer great fishing opportunities. If you’re specifically looking to do some trout fishing, be sure to head to one of these top places around Mesa.
Salt River
Salt River is the closest river to Mesa, and it flows just north of the city. It offers a variety of recreational opportunities, including tubing, rafting, kayaking, and swimming. The river is also a great spot for fishing. Head to the area below Saguaro Lake to find rainbow trout, catfish, sunfish, and largemouth bass. You can cast your line from the shore, or you can try something different by getting out on the water in a tube or kayak. A fishing permit is required.
Canyon Lake
Drive approximately 34 miles northeast of Mesa to find Canyon Lake, which is one of the four reservoirs formed by the damming of the Salt River. The lake has a depth of 141 feet and 28 miles of shoreline with plenty of secluded coves that make the perfect spot for some fishing. You can head to one of the day use areas to fish from the shore or rent a boat to head out on the water. While you’re at the lake, you’ll have the chance to reel in largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow bass, walleye, and rainbow trout.
Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch is a 110-acre wetland and wildlife sanctuary that’s about 9 miles southeast of Mesa in Gilbert. The preserve has a recreational urban fishing lake stocked with farm-raised catfish, sunfish, largemouth bass, and rainbow trout. In order to reduce waterfowl injuries at the preserve, you can only fish using a single barbless hook. Additionally, while bass and sunfish are now classified as catch and release, trout, catfish, and all other species of fish are still catch and keep.
Saguaro Lake
Another large reservoir formed by the damming of the Salt River is Saguaro Lake, which is located about 27 miles northeast of Mesa. The lake is 10 miles long, has 22 miles of shoreline, and has a maximum depth over 100 feet. If you’re interested in casting your line on the lake, you can stop by Saguaro Lake Marina to purchase fishing supplies and rent a fishing boat. Along with rainbow trout, the lake is also home to largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, and channel catfish.
McQueen Park
The 41-acre McQueen Park in Gilbert is just 5 miles south of Mesa. This park offers a great variety of activities for everyone to enjoy, including baseball and softball fields, tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, picnic areas, playgrounds, and multi-use trails. If you’re interested in fishing, the park has a lake stocked with catch and keep species that include trout, catfish, bass, carp, and sunfish.
Whether you want to try your hand at landing a rainbow trout on a river or lake, you’ll find some great spots for fishing when you head to these spots around Mesa.
“2009/365/190 Fish Frenzy” via Flickr by cogdogblog. Used with permission via CC0 1.0 / cropped from original
