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Salt River Fishing Report

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

A desert river with a double life: winter rainbow stockers and year-round bass in the cottonwood canyons below Saguaro Lake.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
750 cfs
Air / High
98 / 101 F
Wind
SW 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 09502000, 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.

Salt River locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. The river is running 750 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1009 hPa and a high of 101. Water sits around 84 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: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 101 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 Salt River below Stewart Mountain Dam.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 09502000.

399569739750 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp98 F
High / Low101 / 82 F
WindSW 8-12 mph
Pressure1009.0 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain13% cloud, 6%
Sunrise / Sunset06:02 / 18:47
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 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, 101/82 F, wind 18 mph, rain 6%

Slow. 101 F: be on the water at dawn and off by mid-morning, or fish after dark.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Salt River 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
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 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 Salt River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 100 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 101 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 97 F, wind to 10 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 with trout stamp for the winter fishery. Standard statewide limits: check AZGFD stocking schedules and current rules.

Access

Tonto NF recreation sites off Bush Highway: Granite Reef, Phon D Sutton, Coon Bluff, Blue Point, Pebble Beach. Tonto Pass required.

About this water

The Lower Salt River below Stewart Mountain Dam (Saguaro Lake), Maricopa County, Arizona: a stocked winter trout fishery and warm-water river on Phoenix’s edge.

Fishing Salt River: the full guide

Phoenix’s moving water

The Lower Salt runs from Stewart Mountain Dam through saguaro and cottonwood country on the edge of metro Phoenix: the valley’s only real river fishery. Summer belongs to the tubing crowds; anglers own the winter, when Arizona Game and Fish stocks rainbow trout at the recreation sites and the river fishes like a southwestern spring creek. Largemouth, yellow bass and channel cats hold in the deeper pools year-round for those willing to work around the traffic.

Winter trout, desert style

From roughly October through April, stocked rainbows spread through the runs below each stocking point: Blue Point, Phon D Sutton, Coon Bluff and Granite Reef. Small spinners, salmon eggs and, for fly anglers, egg patterns and small nymphs under an indicator all produce. The fish are stockers, but the setting: bald eagles, wild horses at the crossings, saguaros over a trout stream: is unlike anywhere else in America.

Bass, and reading releases

Dam releases rule this river: winter flows often drop low and clear, ideal for wading; spring and summer releases for downstream demand can jump the river severalfold in a day. Check the below-dam gauge before every trip. The bass and catfish concentrate in the deep bends and rock pools: work them at dawn before the recreation wave arrives, with soft plastics and small crankbaits.

The Tonto pass world

Every access point (Granite Reef, Phon D Sutton, Coon Bluff, Blue Point, Water Users, Pebble Beach) sits on Tonto National Forest land and requires a Tonto Pass or America the Beautiful pass. Winter weekdays feel wild; summer weekends do not: fish October to April for the river at its best, or dawn patrol in summer before the tubes launch at 9.

Common questions

When is trout season on the Salt?

Stockings run roughly fall through spring while water temps stay cool: October through April is the window, with winter weekdays the prime experience.

Can I fish it in summer?

Dawn, yes: bass and catfish bite before the tubing flotilla arrives mid-morning. Afternoons are for spectating, not fishing.

Are the wild horses really there?

The Salt River horses cross the river daily: give them room, keep dogs leashed, and enjoy the strangest backdrop in trout fishing.

Is fishing good at Salt River 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

Saguaro Lake2 miLower Salt River4 miCanyon Lake (AZ)7 miApache Lake14 miBartlett Lake22 miRoosevelt Lake27 mi
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