Fishing at Pool Corral Lake, Apache County, Arizona

• Overview

  Out in Apache County, Arizona, sits Pool Corral Lake. Around the bank it is rolling bush. Surface area is around 25 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. It is high ground by Arizona standards. The closest town, Eagar, is 12 miles distant. After that come Springerville at 13 miles and North Fork at 32 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Pool Corral Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records collected within a few miles name rainbow trout, common carp, brown trout, desert sucker and sonora sucker. Treat it as evidence of what swims in the area. On Pool Corral Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 60°F, with January the cold end at about 24°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early April. Climate averages put the opening at about early April and the closing near early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Pool Corral Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Mapped as intermittent, it fills after rain and shrinks between. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Hay Lake, 2.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Pool Corral Lake before loading the car.