Arizona Public Waters
4 notable public water bodies. Use “Fishing near me” to sort by distance.
| Water | Type | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Havasu AZ | reservoir | — | Striped bass and largemouth. |
| Lake Powell AZ | reservoir | — | Smallmouth and striped bass. |
| Roosevelt Lake AZ | reservoir | — | Largemouth bass. |
| Colorado River (Yuma) AZ | river | — |
Coordinates are approximate. Always confirm public access, boat-launch status, and local rules with the managing agency before you travel.
Spot profiles
Each profile covers the water’s type, the species recorded there, access notes, and the regulations or special rules that apply to that specific waterbody.
Lake Havasu
Lake Powell
Roosevelt Lake
Colorado River (Yuma)
Planning a trip in Arizona
Everything below is drawn from FishFig's verified Arizona data layer — license fees, stocking records, resolved statewide limits, and reported license-free dates. Each figure names its source.
Public waters in Arizona covered here
This state hub indexes 4 notable public water bodies: 3 reservoirs, 1 river. The dataset is a curated list of destination waters rather than every public access point, so a productive local pond or municipal lake near you may still be missing.
Species profiles exist for 4 of the 4 tracked waters. Commonly indexed destinations include Lake Havasu, Lake Powell, Roosevelt Lake and Colorado River (Yuma).
Use the "Fishing near me" sorter on this page to reorder the list by straight-line distance from your location. Straight-line distance is a planning estimate, not a drive time — a water 20 miles away across a ridge or a bay can take far longer to reach than one 40 miles down a highway, and seasonal closures, launch fees, and permit requirements are set by the managing agency rather than by this list.
What a Arizona fishing license costs
A resident annual license for Arizona is $37.00, and the non-resident annual license is $55.00 — a difference of $18.00. The non-resident rate is roughly 1.5 times the resident rate — meaning the license is usually the smallest expense in the trip budget.
Short-term options as published: 1-day combo hunt & fish $15.00 (resident) / $20.00 (nonresident); licenses valid 365 days from purchase.
At the published short-term prices, a resident annual license breaks even at about 3 single days. Below that trip count the short-term pass is cheaper; above it the annual license is. (Break-even arithmetic from the published fees — confirm current products with Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD).)
Senior and reduced-rate options: Residents age 70+ with 25 years residency are license-exempt.
Reciprocal border waters to check before travelling: Lake Powell and Lake Mead / Lake Mohave.
Source: Arizona Game & Fish Department — 2025 & 2026 Fishing Regulations fee schedule (azgfd.com / 2025-26 Fishing Regulations PDF).
Stocking in Arizona
A statewide annual stocking total for Arizona is pending verification in this dataset, so this tool shows no number rather than an estimate. Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) publishes stocking by water, county, and species.
Stocking totals for Arizona are pending verification. State fish agencies publish annual stocking lists by water, county, and species; consult Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) for current figures before relying on any number.
Source: verify locally — see Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) stocking reports.
Why stocking matters to planning: put-and-take fisheries are the most catch-rate-sensitive to plant timing, so a water that fishes poorly in April can fish well in May once the trucks arrive. Check the current-year plant list before writing off a water, and check it again before assuming a hot bite will last.
Size and bag limits tracked for Arizona
Arizona has 10 statewide limits resolved in this tool — Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout and Smallmouth Bass, among 10 in the tracked set. Each entry below carries the agency citation it came from.
Brook Trout: bag 4 (trout aggregate; 8 possession); season Year-round. Citation: Arizona Game and Fish Department — 2025–26 Arizona Fishing Regulations. https://azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/30111408/2025-26-Fishing-Regulations_260130.pdf
Brown Trout: bag 4 (trout aggregate; 8 possession); season Year-round. Citation: Arizona Game and Fish Department — 2025–26 Arizona Fishing Regulations. https://azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/30111408/2025-26-Fishing-Regulations_260130.pdf
Channel Catfish: bag 10 (combined with flathead catfish); season Year-round. Citation: Arizona Game and Fish Department — 2025–26 Arizona Fishing Regulations. https://azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/30111408/2025-26-Fishing-Regulations_260130.pdf
Flathead Catfish: bag 10 (combined with channel catfish); season Year-round. Citation: Arizona Game and Fish Department — 2025–26 Arizona Fishing Regulations. https://azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/30111408/2025-26-Fishing-Regulations_260130.pdf
Largemouth Bass: bag 6 (combined with smallmouth bass); season Year-round; No statewide minimum length; many managed waters impose a 13 in minimum (e.g., Lake Pleasant, Roosevelt, Canyon).. Citation: Arizona Game and Fish Department — 2025–26 Arizona Fishing Regulations (valid Jan. 1, 2025 – Dec. 31, 2026). https://azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/30111408/2025-26-Fishing-Regulations_260130.pdf
Northern Pike: bag Unlimited (immediate kill or release required); season Year-round. Citation: Arizona Game and Fish Department — 2025–26 Arizona Fishing Regulations. https://azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/30111408/2025-26-Fishing-Regulations_260130.pdf
These are statewide general rules only. Slot limits, special-regulation waters, catch-and-release stretches, and zone-by-zone seasons override them — and a general rule that is absent from this list is not the same as no restriction. Confirm the rule for the exact water you are fishing with Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) before keeping a fish.
Free fishing days in Arizona
Reported license-free dates for 2026: June 6, 2026. Most states waive the license only, not the rules — size and bag limits, gear restrictions, seasons, and any required report card still apply, and some states still require a free or zero-cost license to be issued before you fish.
Reported for 2026 by public aggregators and may not match the official state schedule. Always confirm the current year’s dates and any species/stamp exceptions with the agency before planning.
Source: Compiled from 2026 public Free-Fishing-Day roundups (modefreefinds.com, heyitsfree.net, fishkillflea.com). Not an official source — verify with the state agency. (compiled 2026-08-29).
State agency & contact
Licenses, regulations, and stocking are set by the agency below. When FishFig can’t verify a figure, contact them directly.
Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD)
FishFig is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD). Verify every figure with the agency before purchasing a license, keeping fish, or relying on stocking data.