Fishing at Sullivan Lake, Yavapai County, Arizona

• Overview

  You will find Sullivan Lake in Yavapai County, Arizona. The surface lies 4,350 feet up. About 14 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Start from Paulden, 1.6 miles down the road. It is 83 miles to Deer Valley, the nearest city. In the same area: Granite Basin Lake at 18 miles, Willow Creek Reservoir after 18 miles, Watson Lake at 19 miles, Yavapai Lake after 20 miles and Mesa Reservoir at 21 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Sullivan Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Reported across Yavapai County: green sunfish, desert sucker, sonora sucker and rainbow trout. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. The shape of Sullivan Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 78°F and January near 40°F. The awkward stretch is midsummer, not midwinter. March through May is the strongest run, with autumn a second stretch. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. Sullivan Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. The nearest alternative is Granite Basin Lake, 18 miles out. What applies at Sullivan Lake may have changed since it was mapped.