Willow Springs Lake Fishing Report 2024 [Tips, Spots, Pictures, and Everything You Need to Know]

In Arizona, this is the only fish with both red and black patches on its body.

A pale/off-white halo usually surrounds dark patches on the sides.

On the back, the color ranges from dark to olive brown, dipping to yellow on the sides, and yellow or white on the belly.

In larger fish, breeding males have lower chin that will create a hooked jaw. The corner of the mouth extends past the eye, resulting in a huge mouth.

Brown trout are not native to Arizona, nor to North America for that matter. They were first imported to California in 1893 and originated in Europe.

Brown trout will commonly feed during the day if they are not bothered. Larger fish, on the other hand, are mainly nocturnal.

Brown trout are very aggressive feeders and will readily eat a streamer fly, casting upstream or into the wind. 

Artificial baits such as in-line spinners or small Rapala minnow bait work phenomenally.  

Live nightcrawlers, or minnows on a #6-#8 hooks are excellent baits.

If you can find any waterfall or spillway, spend some time fishing it because brown trout will often wait to ambush any prey that happens to drift over them in those areas.

Likewise, if you’re in a boat on the main lake some of the best ways to catch brown trout is to troll for these behemoths. 

General Trout Details

Spawn: October-December

Food: Insects, small fish and crustaceans. 

Arizona State Record: 22 lbs 14.5 oz. Caught 08/06/1999 in Reservation Lake.

Table Quality: Depending on the fishes diet, the meat can be white to orange-red in color. The meat is firm, flaky, and is considered excellent eating.

Angling techniques:

• Trolling with or without downriggers
• Fish attractor such as a  flasher or a dodger – great when trolling.
• Trolling spoons such as a Krocodile spoon, Super Duper, Crippled Herring, Cast Champ, or  Hus-Lure – simple, easy to use, can be trolled or cast-retrieved at any speed.
• Inline spinners such as the Bang-Tail and Shyster – gets a ton of bites.
• Minnow style baits such as the Luhr-Jensen Quick Fish and the Rapala BX minnow – known to hook up giant fish.
• Real or artificial corn – great because it will never spoil or mold over.
• Natural salmon eggs – it’s hard to beat natural salmon eggs at bait. When trout are eating salmon eggs, they’ll eat up a couple of jars in less than an hour!
• Artificial salmon eggs – great because they float off the bottom – ideal in rocky or grassy conditions.
• Real worms – such as meal worms or nightcrawlers.
• Artificial worms – great for trolling and will never die.
• Dry flies (floating flies) – The insects that land, float, or live on top of the water, which are represented by dry flies. Investing in a kit gives you a wide assortment of flies and a good selection of types and sizes allow you to quickly adjust to any situation.
• Wet flies (sinking flies) – Wet flies imitate insects that develop and inhabit below the water level before emerging and rising to the surface. Investing in a kit gives you a wide assortment of flies and a good selection of types and sizes allow you to quickly adjust to any situation.  
• Woolly bugger flies – One of the most popular fly patterns ever is the Woolly Bugger. These mimic small fish, leeches, larvae, and worms. Investing in a kit gives you a wide assortment of flies and a good selection of types and sizes allow you to quickly adjust to any situation.  
• Steamer flies – They can also mimic larger animals found in streams and rivers, including crawfish, larger leeches, and smaller fish. Investing in a kit gives you a wide assortment of flies and a good selection of types and sizes allow you to quickly adjust to any situation. 
• **The number one key to successful trout fishing, is to use light line (2 to 6 pound) and small hooks (10-14 sizes), and small sinkers