{"id":18167,"date":"2025-04-08T10:53:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T17:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/?p=18167"},"modified":"2025-04-08T10:54:01","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T17:54:01","slug":"catfish-stockings-to-begin-in-most-community-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/04\/08\/catfish-stockings-to-begin-in-most-community-waters\/","title":{"rendered":"Catfish stockings to begin in most community waters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEWS RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 8, 2025 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHOENIX \u2014 It doesn\u2019t have to be Friday to enjoy a good, old-fashioned fish fry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cole slaw. French fries. Red beans and rice. Oh, and don\u2019t forget the hush puppies. All are perfect complements to a pile of fresh-caught catfish filets, fried in a savory cornmeal batter until crisp and golden-brown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever your choice of side dishes, leave the main course up to the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), which is preparing to stock Community Fishing Program waters with tons of channel catfish just waiting to get caught. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And \u201ctons\u201d is not an exaggeration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At more than 50 city park lakes and ponds across Arizona, AZGFD expects to stock between 210,000 and 220,000 pounds \u2014 more than 100 tons \u2014 of channel catfish in two-week intervals (approximately) over the course of the spring and fall seasons this year.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lower elevation waters, located in metro Phoenix and Tucson, Yuma, and Safford, will be stocked through May. The higher elevation waters, in places like Prescott Valley, Ash Fork, Show Low, and St. Johns will receive fish from late May through mid-September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to Community Fishing Program waters, AZGFD also has plans to stock these locations: Deadhorse Ranch State Park, Lynx Lake, Watson Lake, Goldwater Lake, City Reservoir, Santa Fe Reservoir, Frances Short Pond, Woodland Lake, Scotts Reservoir, and Cluff Ranch. A set stocking schedule has yet to be determined.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anglers who hook into one of these stockers can expect a tussle. AZGFD has a contract with an Arkansas-based supplier that ensures the fish being delivered mostly weigh between 1 \u00bd and 2 pounds apiece, with some tipping the scales at 5 pounds or more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of those would make for quite the meal. Or even two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCatfish are an excellent species for stocking into recreational fishing waters, as they are scrappy, omnivores \u2014 which means they will eat almost anything,\u201d said Scott Gurtin, who manages the Community Fishing Program. \u201cThey\u2019re also exceptionally delicious when fried. If you haven\u2019t tried deep-fried catfish, give it a try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to channel catfish, Gurtin said AZGFD recently stocked more than 6,000 pounds of bluegills in Community Fishing Program waters in the Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma areas, as well as Show Low, St. Johns, Eagar, and Safford. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Community Fishing Program was established to provide fun, family-friendly opportunities close to home for all anglers, hence the motto: \u201cIf people can\u2019t get to the fish, we\u2019ll bring fish to the people.\u201d It\u2019s estimated that more than four million Arizona residents live within 20 minutes of one of these stocked waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anglers are advised that a valid license is still needed (for those 10 and older) to fish these waters. Valid licenses include general fishing, youth combination hunt and fish (10 to 17), combination hunt and fish (18 and over), or pioneer, blind, disabled veteran (one day), and youth group licenses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anglers also should know the difference between waters that have been designated as either a \u201clake\u201d or a \u201cpond,\u201d and have been named accordingly. Community \u201clakes\u201d are larger bodies of water, generally over three acres, and have higher daily bag limits. Community \u201cponds\u201d have daily bag limits that are only one-half that of lakes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Limits are reduced at the smaller bodies of water to avoid overcrowding and overfishing, while still providing a quality angling experience. Once a daily bag limit is reached, an angler must stop fishing for that species. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best method for channel catfish is to use a hook-and-sinker setup fished on the bottom. Anglers should use an 8- to 12-pound test line with a No. 2 to No. 6 baitholder hook. Typical baits include worms, stink baits, hotdogs, liver, and shrimp. Fish the deepest spots during the daytime and shallower areas after dark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about the Community Fishing Program, including a stocking schedule, visit www.azgfd.gov\/community<\/strong><\/a>.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AZGFD’s Community Fishing Program provides family-friendly opportunities close to home. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":7314,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main-site"],"yoast_head":"\nCatfish stockings to begin in most community waters - Arizona Game & Fish Department<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/04\/08\/catfish-stockings-to-begin-in-most-community-waters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Catfish stockings to begin in most community waters - Arizona Game & Fish Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"AZGFD's Community Fishing Program provides family-friendly opportunities close to home.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/04\/08\/catfish-stockings-to-begin-in-most-community-waters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arizona Game & Fish Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-08T17:53:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-08T17:54:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/05174310\/Channel-catfish_360.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"dhajek\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"dhajek\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/04\/08\/catfish-stockings-to-begin-in-most-community-waters\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/04\/08\/catfish-stockings-to-begin-in-most-community-waters\/\",\"name\":\"Catfish stockings to begin in most community waters - 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