Fishing at Coconino Lake, Coconino County, Arizona

• Overview

  Coconino Lake sits in Coconino County, out in Arizona. It sits in mixed woodland country. Surface area runs to about 17 acres — small enough to read in one session. Mountainaire lies 16 miles from the water. Deer Valley sits 100 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Coconino Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Public occurrence data for Coconino County names brown trout, common carp and flannelmouth sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Fish Coconino Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 69°F and January at 29°F. Neither winter nor summer shuts things down for long. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. It holds true on Coconino Lake more years than not. Water colour tells you more than the air temperature does.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Public mapping marks it as seasonal water rather than permanent. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Ducksnest Lake sits 1 mile off and takes the overflow. For Coconino Lake in particular, ask before you travel.