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Fools Hollow Lake Fishing Report

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

Show Low's twin refuge: Fools Hollow's cool pines hold trout mornings, bass afternoons and the White Mountains' easiest family water.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
78 / 80 F
Wind
SW 13 mph

Sources: 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Fools Hollow Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 13 mph, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 80. Water sits around 66 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

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perchFair

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Similar at 83 F. 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.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp78 F
High / Low80 / 59 F
WindSW 13-16 mph
Pressure1010.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain22% cloud, 6%
Sunrise / Sunset05:55 / 18:42
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 80/59 F, wind 15 mph, rain 6%

Fair or better. A 15 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Fools Hollow Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Fools Hollow Lake 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
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 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 Fools Hollow Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 78 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 15 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 11 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

Arizona license. Trout 6/day; bass standard: check AZGFD. State-park fees; 10-hp limit.

Access

Fools Hollow SP ramps and piers; campground shoreline.

About this water

150 acres at 6,300 ft, Navajo County, AZ. Show Low's family twin.

Fishing Fools Hollow Lake: the full guide

The recreation-area lake

Fools Hollow pools Show Low Creek at 6,300 feet: the state-park twin to Show Low Lake minutes away: 150 cool acres in the ponderosas running Arizona's high-country double: stocked rainbows for the trolling-and-bait crowd, warm-water residents (largemouth, smallmouth, walleye remnants, crappie) for everyone else.

The two-beat day

Mornings troll the trout lanes (cowbells and worms at 10-20 feet: plants run generous May-September): afternoons switch to the rocky points and flooded timber for bass (Neds and cranks: the smallmouth surprise Arizona rarely offers): and evening crappie stack the brush at the dam's corners.

High-country ease

The park's design serves families first: paved ramps, fishing piers, campground loops above the water: and the elevation keeps July fishable when the desert broils. Elk wander the shorelines at dusk: the White Mountains' amenities outfish the fish some evenings.

Show Low practicalities

State-park fees cover polished access: the 10-hp limit calms the water: and the town's services sit five minutes east. Pair with Show Low Lake and the Pintail-area waters: the plateau's lake-hopping mornings are the local craft.

Common questions

Fools Hollow or Show Low Lake?

Fools Hollow for family polish and bass variety, Show Low for the walleye chance: five minutes apart, most locals fish both by noon.

When is Fools Hollow stocked?

May-September typically: AZGFD posts the calendar. Ice-out and October's quiet bracket the plants with holdover chances.

Can you ice fish Fools Hollow?

Hard winters cap it briefly: trout and crappie through thin-season ice when conditions allow. Check park reports: the elevation teases more ice than it delivers, and Show Low Lake usually firms first.

Is fishing good at Fools Hollow Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Show Low Lake5 miBig Lake (White Mountains)45 miBlack River50 miWoods Canyon Lake51 miRoosevelt Lake73 miSan Carlos Lake79 mi
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