Go Fishing in Grand Canyon Region

There’s nothing like standing in the river as its currents pass you by. The Grand Canyon region is full of some world-class rivers that provide visitors with a gat abundance and variety of fishing opportunities.

Whether you want to fly-fish or fish on a lake, the Grand Canyon and surrounding regions deliver.

The best fishing inside Grand Canyon National Park is on the Grand Canyon’s east end, upstream from Phantom Ranch. Successful anglers will catch rainbow trout, carp, speckled dace, flannel-mouth sucker and blue-head sucker.

Phantom Ranch is at the base of the Grand Canyon, the end of a lengthy, rugged hike via South Kaibab or Bright Angel Trail from the South Rim. Or, those visitors embarking on a private or commercially guided raft trip can try their luck along their river adventure. The best seasons try your luck fishing inside the national park are fall and winter.

Some of the best fishing outside of Grand Canyon National Park can be enjoyed on Lake Powell in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, or Lake Mead in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Other Colorado River lakes include Lake Havasu, Lake Mohave and Martinez Lake. Or, head to higher country and the mountain lakes in Arizona’s White Mountains in Coconino National Forest, accessed near Flagstaff, AZ.

Arizona is full of many desert lakes that provide exceptional fishing too, including Roosevelt lake, Apache Lake, Canyon Lake, Saguaro Lake, San Carlos Lake, Bartlett Lake, Alamo Lake and Lake Pleasant.

Great rivers to fish, besides the Colorado River, are the Little Colorado River, the Lower Salt River, the Verde River, the San Juan River, the East and West forks of the Black River, and the Bill Williams River, to name only a handful. Some exceptional trout-fishing streams include Oak Creek, Canyon Creek and Tonto Creek.