Do you like to fish? I certainly do and I take my responsibility to help control the fish population here in Arizona pretty darn seriously, too:) When I was younger, I spent many hours at Lake Pleasant bottom fishing for catfish and pulled some nice fats ones out - often using chicken livers on a treble hook,  stuffed into a piece of nylon hose as bait. I also pulled out plenty of white bass, largemouth bass and a few bluegills, as well. It was always fun to just start a little fire right there on the shore and cook em up with butter, salt and cornmeal.

As I started to get a little older I enjoyed the heat less and less and started gravitating to the mountains of northern and eastern Arizona for all of my camping, hiking, wildlife watching and fishing adventures. I've absolutely fallen in love with trout fishing and have climbed mountains, hiked many miles, fought a colony of Mexican Free-Tailed Bats, ran from a bear and slept out in the open air - even on a small paddle boat once - to get to the best fishing holes. There's just nothing like standing in a mountain stream in the pine trees floating a worm down stream or working a rooster tail across a pool. The weather is awesome and the fish are, too. One of my favorites is the Apache Trout which is native to the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. They are absolutely beautiful - a rich olive green body with a sparkly, golden under belly. I love the way they glisten in the sunlight on the end of my line. The Black River in eastern Arizona is where I usually catch them tho they are also found in Becker Lake in Springerville and other White Mountain lakes and streams.

Another cool catch is the trout's cousin, the Arctic Graying. They're stocked in Lee Valley Reservoir, east of Show Low - not too far from Big Lake. Basically you fish them the same as you do a brook, brown or rainbow trout, tho they seem to be a bit harder to catch in my experience. They put up a good fight and their large, sail-like dorsal fin and narrow waist sets them apart from the other species of fish in the area. They are also a striking lavender/purple color during certain times of the year, which is really unique. The fishing rules at Lee Valley Reservoir are a little tight, but it's an absolutely beautiful place to hang out for the day and catching one of these beauties would be the icing on the cake. There's plenty of hiking and camping opportunities in the area as well as a good chance to see some elk, so I highly recommend a visit.