Howard Lake in Coconino County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Howard Lake belongs to Coconino County, Arizona. It sits at 6,112 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 32 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The nearest place of any size is Williams, 18 miles away. It is 126 miles to Deer Valley, the nearest city. Nearby, in order: Smoot Lake within 3.6 miles, Allen Lake at about 5.5 miles, Horse Lake within 8.8 miles, Red Lake at about 8.8 miles and Fay Lake within 12 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Howard Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Coconino County cover brown trout, common carp, flannelmouth sucker and bluehead sucker. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Howard Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 71°F for July and 32°F for January. Whether it freezes depends on the year. It is not guaranteed even in a cold spell, so check yourself. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. Expect Howard Lake to follow that timing. Short days concentrate it into a narrow window.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Mapped as intermittent, it fills after rain and shrinks between. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Smoot Lake at 3.6 miles is the sensible second choice. Ask locally about Howard Lake if anything is unclear.