Wild brown trout caught on the Little Colorado River in the White Mountains
Linda Lyon
“Where do you fly fish?” was the number one question asked at the SaddleBrooke Fly Fishers (SBFF) table at the recent Activities Fair. The answer is, “everywhere” because the truth is that you can fly fish anywhere you can fish with other methods. Although we often must travel some distance for good trout fishing, there are closer opportunities to enjoy casting a line. Arizona Game and Fish stocks community ponds with trout in the winter and, of course, there are always bass, bluegill, and sometimes catfish and carp available year-round. There are also several larger lakes within a couple of hours, as well as the Salt River east of Phoenix, which are stocked with trout. A four-hour drive takes you to both the Oak Creek in Sedona and the White Mountains, which both hold a variety of wild trout. In a little less than six hours, you can fish for trophy trout at Lee’s Ferry on the Colorado, and in less than eight, the San Juan River below Navajo Dam in New Mexico.
Connecting SaddleBrooke Fly Fishers so they can enjoy some of these opportunities together is just one of the goals of the newly elected president, Dean Umemoto. He also intends to offer interesting speakers at meetings and educational opportunities for more experienced members to share their knowledge with those newer to the sport. Of course, socializing over a shared passion is also part of the plan, and Dean is committed to the club sponsoring at least a couple of fun events this year.
SBFF meetings are normally held on the fourth Monday of each month at 4 p.m. The next meeting will be on Feb. 28 in the Catalina Room next to the Mesquite Grill at SaddleBrooke TWO. To join or just stay updated with the latest information, email us at [email protected].