Steel Crater Fishing Guide, Coconino County, Arizona

• Overview

  Steel Crater is set in Coconino County, Arizona. It sits at 5,466 feet above sea level. The whole thing is a single swim; walk it in a minute. On size it sits at the modest end of our Coconino County list. Start from Williams, 13 miles down the road. Further out sit Paulden (24 miles) and Parks (27 miles). This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Steel Crater

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Coconino County list brown trout, common carp, flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker and green sunfish. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. The shape of Steel Crater decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 75°F, the coldest about 37°F. Heat sets the pattern from late spring onward. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer squeezes it into the edges of the day. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Plan any trip to Steel Crater around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records show it does not hold water year-round. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Steel Dam Reservoir is 0.4 miles off. Signs at Steel Crater carry more weight than any list.