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Big Lake (White Mountains) Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The White Mountains' trout basin: Arizona's high-country answer to the desert heat.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
23 cfs
Air / High
66 / 69 F
Wind
SW 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 09383400, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Big Lake (White Mountains) is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 23 cfs, on the rise. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SW around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 69. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Similar at 71 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from LITTLE COLORADO RIVER AT GREER, AZ.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 09383400.

12253723 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp66 F
High / Low69 / 47 F
WindSW 8-10 mph
Pressure1010.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain36% cloud, 29%
Sunrise / Sunset05:53 / 18:39
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 69/47 F, wind 12 mph, rain 29%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Big Lake (White Mountains): seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Big Lake (White Mountains) calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Big Lake (White Mountains) today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 67 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 71 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 69 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Arizona requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

6 trout combined; special brood-stock rules posted. Confirm with AZGFD.

Access

Two ramps, rental boats, four campgrounds; shore access around most of the lake.

About this water

450 acres at 9,000 ft in the White Mountains, Apache County, AZ. The state's flagship high-country trout water.

Fishing Big Lake (White Mountains): the full guide

9,000 feet of cool

Big Lake sits in Arizona's White Mountains: rainbows, brookies and cutthroat stocked into cold volcanic water that fishes all summer while the desert bakes. Boats troll flies and lures; shore anglers do fine at the springs. The season is the reverse of the lowlands: June-September prime.

The high-country program

AZGFD manages Big Lake intensively: rainbows stocked by the tens of thousands, brookies and cutthroat layered in, and enough forage to grow holdovers past 20 inches. Trolling cowbells, stripping buggers from tubes and bait dunking all produce: elevation is the equalizer.

Season notes

Ice-out (late April) and October's pre-freeze feed bookend the season with the biggest fish. Summer weekends fill campgrounds: midweek mornings keep the meadows quiet. Afternoon monsoon lightning is real: fish early, glass the storms from the store porch.

The White Mountains ceiling

At 9,000 feet, Big Lake is Arizona's alpine anomaly: rainbows, brookies, and cutthroat fattening through a short intense season (May-October) on scud-and-callibaetis biomass. Trolling cowbells, stripping buggers from tubes, and evening dry-fly windows all produce; the brook trout program adds 2-lb specialists in the fall. When Phoenix reads 110, this shoreline reads 70: the elevation is the amenity.

Common questions

When does Big Lake open?

Access opens with snowmelt: typically late April-May: and runs until SR-273 closes in late fall. Ice-out week is the trophy window locals track by forum rumor.

When does Big Lake open and ice out?

Ice-out typically hits late April-May; the store and boat rentals run May-October. Early season (right after ice) and October's pre-freeze weeks are the trophy windows.

Is fishing good at Big Lake (White Mountains) right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Black River9 miShow Low Lake40 miFools Hollow Lake45 miSan Carlos Lake79 miWoods Canyon Lake92 miRoosevelt Lake99 mi
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