Fishing at Boot Lake, Coconino County, Arizona

• Overview

  Boot Lake is listed under Coconino County, Arizona. The setting is open valley. It runs to roughly 113 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. There is not much shape to the outline, and the wind crosses it unbroken. It ranks high for size among our Coconino County listings. Mountainaire lies 20 miles from the water. It is 101 miles to Deer Valley, the nearest city. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Boot Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Fish documented in Coconino County include brown trout, common carp and flannelmouth sucker. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Boot Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 29°F in January up to 69°F in July. Conditions shift steadily rather than sharply. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. That is the shape of the year on Boot Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapped as intermittent, it fills after rain and shrinks between. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. The nearest alternative is Long Lake, 1.6 miles out. Check the current arrangement for Boot Lake.