January 24, 2017

Chill that can killCold weather can be great for trout stocking, but bad for lakes that contain tilapia. Tilapia are warm water fish that are native to Africa and they do not tolerate cold water temperatures very well, particularly those below 55 degrees. The recent cloudy weather, rains, and chilly night-time temperatures can often result in a partial fish kill. This situation occurs during normal or cold winters and generally lasts a few weeks to a month. So if you see dead tilapia in any CFP waters, the temperatures are most likely the culprit.

34,650That’s the pounds of rainbow trout stocked this winter since the season began in mid-October in Payson. Since then we’ve conducted 152 individual lake stockings with an estimated 44,806 trout. In terms of tons it comes out to 17.32 tons of trout. To put it another way – A LOT! The trucks will keep coming to keep you (the anglers) busy. Enjoy this cool weather because summer will be here before you know it.

BONUS Trout Stocked in Expansion Waters Last WeekWe did an unscheduled trout stocking in our expansion waters last week. A total of 1,500 pounds were stocked into the Phoenix-area waters which included: Discovery, Freestone, McQueen, Eldorado, Roadrunner, Pacana, Dave White, Bonsall, Friendship, and Patterson Ponds. Patterson Ponds will receive bonus trout this week.

2017 Guidebook is AvailableThe 2017 Community Fishing Guidebook is now available. You can obtain a copy at any regional office or by downloading it from our website. New waters include Patterson Ponds and Stone Dam. We’ve grown the program to 39 waters with more to come.

For more information contact Scott Gurtin at sgurtin@azgfd.gov 623-236-7262 Or visit us at www.azgfd.gov

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