Apache Lake is long and narrow and is the second largest Salt River Project lake. It is located off the Apache Trail (Highway 88) about 65 miles from Phoenix, and is a favorite with many sportsmen, particularly those from southern Arizona.
The Apache Lake Marina and Resort is one mile from the main highway and features a motel, gas station, coffee shop, picnic supplies and a trailer park for 12 units. A boat ramp and dock are at the resort, and a county sheriff's aid station is nearby. The Three Bar Wildlife Area is just across the lake from the resort and provides a scenic spot for photographers. Seven miles northeast of the resort is the Burnt Corral Recreation Site with 17 spaces for trailers which are less than 17 feet long. The area is open all year and has boat launching facilities.
Mostly Paved, some rough miles near the lake, most cars could make it
Distance
from Tucson
5+ hours
Distance
from Phoenix
2.5 hours 65 miles from Phoenix
Distance
from Flagstaff
Directions:Take the Apache Trail for 18 miles from Apache Junction past Canyon Lake to Tortilla Flat. Another 15 miles, some of which is unpaved, brings you to your destination. Or, if you're coming from Globe, take Highway 88 northwest about 35 miles to Roosevelt Dam, then turn south along the Apache Trail (still Highway 88) about five miles to Apache Lake.
well I decided to go up to apache and run my boat a little bit. me and my buddy fished a couple coves with light green colored Rapala crankbaits and we caught a couple small sized largemouths and one nice sized smallmouth.. we decided to fish open water in about 15 feet of water and thats when the bigger bass showed up. the biggest one we got was a 5 pound largemouth.. we also caught a couple cats on chicken liver. oh this was shocking we talked to a guy who caught a walleye. i had no idea they had walleye up at apache.. its a great lake one of my favorites.. thanks guys and good fishing to you all
Rented a small 14 foot boat with a terribly small engine and no anchor from the marina today and decided to troll along the cliffs of the far side of the lake (right across from the marina). After a minute of fishing we landed a 10- inch largemouth. We kept landing largemouths and most were at least 14-inches with a maximum of 16-inches. Landed 15 largemouths and missed a few, but fishing was only good when there was overcast.
We went to Apache Lake with friends from out of town to rent a pontoon and spend the day on the lake. I called the day before and asked them about their boats and decided we would come out. It is a difficult road and dusty but we arrived ok. We head to the marina and find what you would describe as a OLD fishing pontoon. Dirty, falling apart and just worn out. The pontoon couldn't even pull a child on a tube, as it didn't have enough power. It was a 10 passenger pontoon and we only had 4 adults and 3 kids. After two hours it broke down and 1 1/2 hours later we had to flag someone to tow us in ( we called the marina twice and nobody showed up). They wanted to pro-rate the day on the boat. My husband let them know that wouldn't be the case, so we received our money and deposit back. The woman who runs this place doesn't care about anything but renting the boats out, no matter what condition they were in. The bathrooms were nasty. They were kind enough to sell us a $190.00 two person float to pull behind the boat, I guess the joke was on us. This is the worst lake experience we have had in our 20 years on Arizona lakes.
caught 17 large mouth bass/ one 131/2 inch red eye bass ,a very large catfish estimated lbs 20,right after i caught the cat fish reeled in a whale of a carp unexpectedly larger than the catfish,at about 2:30 in the morning fishing off shore near the sherriff station a mountain lion came and took a drink of water about ten feet from the area where i was fishing had to check my pants after that one ,lol :o
What a beautiful lake! It is such a sad thing that the road (88) is so rough and terrible. What a trip getting into this lake. The park service should do themselves a favor and do something about the repair of the road. Would never try to haul my boat there again.
Apache lake received nutrient inflows from side tributaries during the major rainstorms. These added nutrients should equate to increased fish health this year, and hopefully, to some decent reproduction as well.
Canyon has been producing the behemoth bass so far this year, but Saguaro is typically a close second for the lunkers.
Lake is 99-percent full at 1,912 feet. Largemouth bass and smallmouth fishing are both getting better. This lake actually received a lot of nutrients from side tributaries during the January-February storms. That should increase the productivity here. Try the mouths of coves and off points. Spinnerbaits and lures like a Shad Rat-L-Traps are working. Tight-lining drop shots either Carolina-rigged or Texas-rigged worms can be effective. Smallmouth fishing is good on windy days and very good in general this time of year. Wind-driven waves stir up the bottom. Try along rocky bottoms and cliffs using crawdad crank imitations in 5-15 feet of water. Walleye can be caught off cliffs and rocky points with in-line spinners or drifting night crawlers. Try rock-runners with worm harnesses or shad-patterned crankbaits for walleye after dark. Yellow bass can be found around balls of shad. Spoons and cut bait work well for them. Catfishing is slow. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is tagging walleye with a blue spaghetti-type tag near the dorsal fin. If you catch one, please note the tag number, location caught and accurate length of the fish and call the department's Mesa office at (480) 324-3544. You can keep the tag and the fish. There is a certified scale at the marina boathouse.
Caught 4 white/yellow bass off nightcrawlers. Largest 1.5 lbs. 3 very small channel catfish. All of them released. Spoke to the "guys" in the boat rental area. They all said the fishing has been very slow lately given the very low water levels.
Lake is 94-percent full at 1,908 feet. Largemouth bass fishing is picking up. Try the mouths of coves and off points. Spinnerbaits and lures like a Shad Rat-L-Trap are also working. Drop shotting (tight lines) of Carolina-rigged or Texas-rigged worms is also effective. Smallmouth fishing has also picked up. Fish for them along the cliff walls in 5-15 feet of water. They will take inline spinners and crawfish imitation baits. Walleye can be caught off cliffs and rocky points with in-line spinners or drifting night crawlers. Try rock-runners with worm harnesses or shad-patterned crankbaits for walleye after dark. Yellow bass can be found around balls of shad. Spoons and cut bait work well for them. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is tagging walleye with a blue spaghetti-type tag near the dorsal fin. If you catch one, please note the tag number, location caught and accurate length of the fish and call the department’s Mesa office at (480) 324-3544. You can keep the tag and the fish. There is a certified scale at the marina boathouse.
Lake is 94-percent full at 1,907 feet. Largemouth bass fishing is slow due to weather and high temps during the day. One angler reported that following a monsoon storm on July 17, catfish were biting near the surface and he caught cats weighing 3, 5 and nine pounds, plus a 16-pound flathead and a 12 pounder. Bass are being caught in the 15-30 foot depth with drop shots and Senkos. Try the mouths of coves and off points. Spinnerbaits and lures like a shad Rat-L-Trap are also working. Night fishing for bass has been good recently. Smallmouth fishing has also picked up. Fish for them along the cliff walls in 5-15 feet of water. They will take inline spinners and crawfish imitation baits. Walleye can be caught off cliffs and rocky points with in-line spinners or drifting night crawlers. Try rock-runners with worm harnesses or shad-patterned crankbaits for walleye after dark. Yellow bass can be found in and around balls of shad. Spoons and cut bait work well for them. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is tagging walleye with a blue spaghetti-type tag near the dorsal fin. If you catch one, please note the tag number, location caught and accurate length of the fish and call the department’s Mesa office at (480) 324-3544. You can keep the tag and the fish. There is a certified scale at the marina boathouse.
Lake is 95-percent full at 1,908 feet. Largemouth bass fishing is good. Bass are being caught in the 15-30 foot depth with drop shots and Senkos. Try the mouths of coves and off points. Spinnerbaits and lures like a shad Rat-L-Trap are also working. Night fishing for bass has been good recently. Smallmouth fishing has also picked up. Fish for them along the cliff walls in 5-15 feet of water. They will take inline spinners and crawfish imitation baits. Walleye can be caught off cliffs and rocky points with in-line spinners or drifting night crawlers. Try rock-runners with worm harnesses or shad-patterned crankbaits for walleye after dark. Yellow bass can be found in and around balls of shad. Spoons and cut bait work well for them. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is tagging walleye with a blue spaghetti-type tag near the dorsal fin. If you catch one, please note the tag number, location caught and accurate length of the fish and call the department’s Mesa office at (480) 981-9400. You can keep the tag and the fish. There is a certified scale at the marina boathouse.
Lake is 96-percent full at 1,908 feet. One angler reports catching yellow bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, sunfish and catfish using live shad or live night crawlers while fishing from an inflatable raft. Another angler reports catching yellow bass, smallmouth, a few largemouth and a 20-pound flathead, mostly split shotting night crawlers, although the big cat was caught on a live bluegill. Largemouth bass fishing is good. Bass are being caught in the 10-20 foot depth with drop shots and Senkos. Try the mouths of coves and off points. Spinnerbaits and lures like a shad Rat-L-Trap are also working. Night fishing for bass has been good recently. Smallmouth fishing has also picked up. Fish for them along the cliff walls in 5-15 feet of water. They will take inline spinners and crawfish imitation baits. Walleye can be caught off cliffs and rocky points with in-line spinners or drifting night crawlers. Try rock-runners with worm harnesses or shad-patterned crankbaits for walleye after dark. Yellow bass can be found in and around balls of shad. Spoons and cut bait work well for them. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is tagging walleye with a blue spaghetti-type tag near the dorsal fin. If you catch one, please note the tag number, location caught and accurate length of the fish and call the department’s Mesa office at (480) 981-9400. You can keep the tag and the fish. There is a certified scale at the marina boathouse.
Lake is 96-percent full at 1,908 feet. One group of anglers here report catching everything from smallmouth and largemouth bass to sunfish and catfish using live shad as bait. Largemouth bass fishing is good. Bass are being caught in the 10-20 foot depth with drop shots and Senkos. Try the mouths of coves and off points. Spinnerbaits and lures like a Shad Rat-L-Trap are also working. Night fishing for bass has been good recently. Smallmouth fishing has also picked up. Fish for them along the cliff walls in 5-15 feet of water. They will take inline spinners and crawfish imitation baits. Walleye can be caught off cliffs and rocky points with in-line spinners or drifting night crawlers. Try rock-runners with worm harnesses or shad-patterned crankbaits for walleye after dark. Yellow bass can be found in and around balls of shad. Spoons and cut bait work well for them. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is tagging walleye with a blue spaghetti-type tag near the dorsal fin. If you catch one, please note the tag number, location caught and accurate length of the fish and call the department’s Mesa office at (480) 981-9400. You can keep the tag and the fish. There is a certified scale at the marina boathouse.
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