Do I need a fishing license in Arizona?

Yes, issued by Game and Fish, with resident, non-resident and short-term options, and a combination hunt-and-fish licence available. Some Colorado River stretches shared with California or Nevada run under reciprocal arrangements, so check which licence covers the water you plan to fish.

How does elevation affect fishing in Arizona?

It creates two separate fisheries. Desert reservoirs near 500 metres fish year round with summer heat as the limit. Mountain lakes up to 2,873 metres hold trout and freeze in winter. The median mapped water sits at 1,942 metres, so more of the state's fishing is high country than people expect.

Can I fish in Arizona year round?

In the desert, yes: the low reservoirs never freeze and fish every month, with winter being the comfortable season and summer the hard one. In the high country the answer is no, since mountain lakes freeze and roads can close, so the season there runs roughly spring through autumn.

Can you ice fish in Arizona?

Yes, on the high-country lakes, which surprises visitors who think of the state as desert. Waters on the Mogollon Rim and in the White Mountains freeze in winter and support ice fishing where access allows. Conditions vary by year and safe ice should never be assumed.

Are Arizona waters mostly lakes or reservoirs?

Reservoirs slightly outnumber natural lakes, as expected in a dry state where water storage had to be built. The desert impoundments hold the warm-water fishing, while the high country retains genuine natural lakes as well as smaller built waters, and those support the trout fishery.

When is the best time to fish the desert reservoirs?

The cooler months. From November through March the water sits in a comfortable range and fish are active through the day. Summer surface temperatures push fish deep and confine productive fishing to the hour or two around dawn, so most anglers plan around the winter half instead.

Best Fishing Spots in Arizona

9200 waters · 56 cities · 21+ fish species

Arizona holds two fisheries stacked on top of each other. Low desert reservoirs sit near 500 metres and fish through the whole year, with summer heat confining useful hours to before sunrise. Mountain lakes on the Mogollon Rim and in the White Mountains reach 2,873 metres, cold enough for trout and a genuine winter, with a median across the state of 1,942 metres reflecting how much of the mapped water sits high. Reservoirs slightly outnumber natural lakes, which is expected in a dry state where storage had to be built, though the high country holds real natural water. Everything falls in the warm-temperate band by latitude, so where a water sits vertically matters far more than where it sits on the map. The catalogue covers 394 waters in Arizona, spread over 15 counties. Sorted by type, reservoirs lead, then natural lakes. Nothing here is larger than Lake Mohave, at some 43 sq miles. Cold months average 33°F; warm months reach 71°F. Break-up usually falls near early March on the average figures. The most frequently logged fish are rainbow trout, green sunfish, channel catfish and bluehead sucker.

Popular Species in Arizona

Fishing License in Arizona

Arizona
Issuing agency	Who needs a license	Resident annual	Non-resident annual	Non-resident short-term	Saltwater requirement	License-free days	Official source (last verified)
Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD)	Ages 10 and older	$37.00	$55.00	1-day	Not applicable — no coastline	1 day (June)	Agency pageVerified 2026-08-13

*Prices are base annual freshwater licenses and exclude vendor fees, stamps and endorsements. Where a cell reads “Not verified”, the agency does not publish the figure in a format we can verify automatically.

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