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Oak Creek Fishing Report

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

Red rock trout: Oak Creek runs cold through Sedona’s canyon, giving Arizona a genuinely scenic wild-and-stocked trout stream.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
25 cfs
Air / High
80 / 84 F
Wind
SSW 17 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 09504500, 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.

Oak Creek rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 25 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SSW around 17 mph, rising pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 84. 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 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 from Oak Creek near Cornville.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 09504500.

26303425 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp80 F
High / Low84 / 67 F
WindSSW 17-20 mph
Pressure1010.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain33% cloud, 6%
Sunrise / Sunset06:02 / 18:49
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, 84/67 F, wind 19 mph, rain 6%

Fair or better. A 19 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Oak Creek: 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 Oak Creek 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 Oak Creek 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 83 F, wind to 19 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 82 F, wind to 19 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 80 F, wind to 22 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 plus trout stamp for the stocked reaches. Standard statewide limits: check current AZGFD stocking schedule and regulations.

Access

Highway 89A pullouts through Oak Creek Canyon, Slide Rock State Park, Grasshopper Point, Call of the Canyon; lower creek access near Page Springs.

About this water

A 50-mile perennial creek from the Mogollon Rim through Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona to the Verde River, Coconino and Yavapai counties, Arizona.

Fishing Oak Creek: the full guide

Canyon water in the desert

Oak Creek flows from the Mogollon Rim through Oak Creek Canyon past Sedona to the Verde River, one of the few permanent trout streams in central Arizona. The upper canyon runs cold and shaded under red rock walls, holding stocked rainbows and a population of wild brown trout that reproduce in the cooler reaches. Below Sedona the creek warms and turns to smallmouth and sunfish water: two fisheries in one spectacular canyon.

Trout in the upper canyon

The stocked reaches from Slide Rock upstream to the switchbacks receive rainbows through the cooler months and fish well with spinners, salmon eggs and small nymphs. Wild browns hold the deeper plunge pools and undercut banks: they are wary and best approached at dawn with small dries and short casts. Winter and spring are the prime windows; summer heat and heavy tourist traffic push serious anglers to early mornings and the upper canyon.

The warm-water half

Below Sedona and toward the Verde confluence, smallmouth bass, sunfish and the occasional catfish take over. It is genuinely good light-tackle water: small crankbaits, tubes and topwater through the riffles and pools, fished by wading. This section stays fishable when the upper canyon is crowded with swimmers, and it holds fish through the hot months.

Canyon logistics

Highway 89A runs the length of the canyon with numerous pullouts, plus developed access at Slide Rock State Park, Grasshopper Point and Call of the Canyon. Parking fills early on weekends and holidays: this is one of Arizona’s busiest recreation corridors. Summer monsoon storms cause flash flooding in the canyon: check forecasts and never fish a narrow reach with storms building on the rim.

Common questions

Are there wild trout?

Yes: wild brown trout reproduce in the cooler upper canyon reaches, alongside heavy rainbow stocking during the cool season.

When should I avoid the canyon?

Summer weekends, when swimmers and tourists fill every pullout. Fish weekday mornings, or the lower creek below Sedona.

Is flash flooding a real risk?

Yes: monsoon storms on the rim send water down the canyon fast. Watch the sky and leave narrow sections when storms build.

Is fishing good at Oak Creek 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

Verde River24 miWoods Canyon Lake60 miBartlett Lake72 miLake Pleasant76 miRoosevelt Lake91 miLower Salt River93 mi
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