Share your catch

Show Low Lake Fishing Report

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

The White Mountains' walleye pocket: a small, deep lake where Arizona's unlikely gold swims beneath the ponderosas.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
77 / 79 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.

Show Low Lake offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SW around 13 mph, rising pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 79. 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 temp77 F
High / Low79 / 59 F
WindSW 13-15 mph
Pressure1010.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain28% cloud, 8%
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, 79/59 F, wind 16 mph, rain 8%

Fair or better. A 16 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Show Low 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 Show Low 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 Show Low 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 79 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Walleye led the card at good. 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 79 F, wind to 12 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. Walleye 6/day: trout standard stocked rules: check AZGFD.

Access

Show Low Lake County Park ramp and rentals; bank access throughout.

About this water

100 deep acres at 6,500 ft, Navajo County, AZ. The state's walleye pocket in the pines.

Fishing Show Low Lake: the full guide

Arizona's walleye outpost

Show Low Lake packs 100 surface acres and 50-foot depths into the White Mountains' pine rim: one of Arizona's few legitimate walleye fisheries (the state record has lived here), layered over stocked rainbows and resident smallmouth. High-country cool at 6,500 feet: Phoenix's summer refuge with a serious side.

Working the little deep

The walleye hold the drop-offs and the dam basin: slow jigs and crawler harnesses at 15-35 feet, dawn and dusk in the clear water: while rainbows (stocked spring through fall) take the trolled cowbells and bank baits, and the smallmouth patrol every rocky edge. Small water rewards moving: three species live within one troll lap.

Seasons on the rim

Ice-out (March) wakes everything shallow: summer stratifies the walleye deep and hands mornings to the trout: October's cooling puts the gold back on the banks: and hard-water years (the lake caps in real winters) offer Arizona's rare ice-fishing novelty. Elk bugle over the September bite: the rim's soundtrack.

Rim-lake practicalities

The county park runs ramps, rentals and camping (10-hp limit keeps it calm): Fool Hollow and the Pinetop lakes sit minutes away for the multi-lake day: and afternoon monsoon cells demand July-August respect: mornings, as everywhere in the high country.

Common questions

Does Arizona really have walleye?

Show Low is the proof: the state record swam here and the population persists on the drop-offs. Slow harnesses at dusk: think Minnesota tactics at Arizona elevation.

When should I fish Show Low Lake?

April-June and September-October for the full three-species day: summer mornings for trout before the recreation hours. Ice-out is the walleye window locals guard.

Is fishing good at Show Low 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

Fools Hollow Lake5 miBig Lake (White Mountains)40 miBlack River44 miWoods Canyon Lake54 miRoosevelt Lake74 miSan Carlos Lake76 mi
Share your catch