Alamo Lake State Park is one of Arizona's best kept secrets. The stark desert beauty is reflected off the water. Cacti dot the mountainous landscape that surround the lake. Nestled in the Bill Williams River Valley away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, Alamo Lake State Park offers outdoor fun, premier bass fishing, rest and relaxation. For nature lovers, spring rains bring an abundance of wild flowers and the lake environment attracts a variety of wildlife year round, including bald and golden eagles, waterfowl, foxes, coyotes, mule deer and wild burros. Stargazers are sure to enjoy the unbelievable view of the night sky with the nearest city lights some forty miles away!
Alamo Lake, located on the Bill Williams River where the Big Sandy River and Santa Maria River come together, was created with the completion of Alamo Dam in 1968. The Army Corps of Engineers designed the earthen dam primarily for flood control. During flood events, the lake basin is capable of "capturing" large amounts of water in a relatively short time. The lake has been recorded rising 11 vertical feet in one night! Unusually high flows during the late 1970's and through the 1980's have increased the average size of the lake, helping to create one of Arizona's best fishing holes.
We are in need of a current report of accessibility information for this lake, if you'd like to help out call us at 866-999-2913
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Elevation:
1,300 feet
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Alamo Lake
General
Rules:
Entrance and camping fees apply. Camp fees are charged per vehicle with a limit of two vehicles per site. Entrance fees are charged per vehicle for day use.Camping is only permitted in designated sites.
Littering is unlawful.
Keep pets on a leash.
All fires must be contained in provided fire rings.
Obey hunting and fishing laws.
Quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Drive only on designated roads.
OHV's must be licensed and street legal.
Paved roads most of the way, then rough road last miles
Distance
from Tucson
Distance
from Phoenix
Distance
from Flagstaff
Directions:The park is located 38 miles north of Wenden and US 60. From Wickenburg, take Hwy 60 west to Wenden. Turn north on the Alamo Lake access road and drive 38 miles to the park.
alamo has been our favorite lake for several years. the lake has very good fishing it is quiet enough to enjor relaxing in camp or just fishing with a bobber yet you can catch some big bass or catfish the rangers are helpful and friendly my wife and i both enjoy alamo lake and the quiet it offers also the burrows
i nailed many many crappie using cert. greenn twister tail grubs , in about 20 feet of water untip w/minnows in the middle of the day , i also caught some nice channel 's using stink bait
i took my father in-law fishing here, spent $110 for gas and renting a boat and drove 2.5 hours there and back to fish for 3 hours. pissed off. but caught 35-40 bass on dropshot myself, he caught 20-25 on crankbait. had to leave so he could get some grub. next time no father in-law. great lake and beautiful area.
High drama seemed to unfold at Alamo on a routine basis starting last fall when a major rainstorm hit the drainage area of the Big Sandy and Santa Maria rivers and then began rolling into Alamo Lake at levels to rival the Colorado River.
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Alamo rose so fast that boat launch ramps that had been out of the water became totally submersed, leaving anglers to launch their boats off the roadways. In the process, hundreds of acres of thick vegetation--including large stands of cottonwoods along the riparian area leading to the lake--were overtaken by the rising waters.
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The reproduction at this classic bass and crappie lake could rival that of Roosevelt, but on a smaller scale. What makes Alamo so attractive to anglers is that it does not have gas and other services for the typical water recreationists, such as skiers and personal watercraft users. In other words, it is primarily a serious fishing lake for the purists because it lacks the typical multiple-use conflicts.
Well folks, just like that the lake is turning on. Most anglers are reporting catching at least 4 to 5 nice bass daily. A few have been catching 5- to 6-pound bass. The bass are in the pre-spawn stage and are in 1 to 6 feet of water. Spinnerbaits and plastics are working very well. Crappie fishing remains slow, although one angler caught a 2- pounder bare handed (might have been on a bed?). Yes, he did have a witness or it would not get printed. Cat fishing has picked up some. Liver and worms seems to be the ticket. The Ranger Station is in the process of getting minnows. We will hopefully have them in a week or so. If you want minnows call the ranger station first. You may have to pick them up at Water Dog Willies if you in the Phoenix area. Both ramps and parking lots are still under water. Boats are being launched off the main roadway with out any problems. Camp area E re-surfaced this last week and is now open again. The releases were cut back from 6,900 cfs to 1,500 cfs for about a week. There is a fish advisory at Alamo Lake. The advisory recommends that people limit consumption as follows for bass and crappie. Children under age six - no consumption; women of childbearing age - one 8-ounce fish meal per month; all other adult women - three 8-ounce fish meals per month; adult men - four 8-ounce fish meals per month. For catfish is the same for children and women of childbearing age, but for all other adult women - five 8-ounce fishmeals per month and adult men - six 8-ounce fishmeals per month.
How the fishing has changed here since 3-3-05, there "was" a great spinner bait bite but that is gone now. I think it is due to the water level dropping so quickly, it has come down around 10 feet in 6 days, areas that had beding bass 6 days before are now out of water. i know this is a flood control lake, but if they just let the lake level go up to around 50% full insted of the current level of 32% (and dropping) we would have one hell of a bass fishing pardise. i guess the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are trying to get the lake level back to it's normal 10% full level. At any rate this lake is still a site to see since know one has seen it this high since the 80's, by the way we caught 2 fish both on spinner baits again in the middle of the day. both came it the mouths of the coves not in the coves.
went to alama lake 3-3-05, spinnerbait bite was great in the am, about five bass over 18" inch's! bass in the beds starting to spawn!! all the fish in bettween 1-5 feet deep.The lake is the highest i have seen it since the early 80's due to the rains, but it looks like it is dropping 1 to 2 feet a day(i know this because i went on 3-01-05 and also 3-3-05) worth both trips!!
Bass fishing is starting to pick up. Local anglers are catching 2- to 6-pound fish throwing crankbaits close to reed beds. Afternoon fishing has been better than morning fishing, for now. One angler says he caught some nice fish throwing plastics along the cliffs of the dam. Anything with red flakes seems to work fine. Crappie fishing is somewhat slow. Catfishing is good using livers and worms. The lake level is still receding. Although the shoreline may look stable, the odds are you are going to bury your vehicle if you drive down to the shoreline. There is a fish advisory here. The advisory recommends that people limit consumption as follows for bass and black crappie: children under age six, no consumption; women of childbearing age, one 8-ounce fish meal per month; all other adult women, three 8-ounce fish meals per month; adult men, four 8-ounce fish meal per month. For catfish, the consumption guideline is slightly different: for children under the age of six, no consumption is recommended; for women of child-bearing age, one 8-ounce fish meal per month; for all other adult women, five 8-ounce fish meals per month; for adult men, six 8-ounce meals per month. If you have any questions, call the park (928) 669-2088.
Bass fishing is really slow. The best time to go is early morning. One local angler is picking up bass on topwater at 5 a.m., but is switching to plastic worms and small grubs by 6 a.m. Throwing next toh4e shoreline is working best. By 9 a.m., the bit is over. A few crappies are being caught at night. From 9 p.m. to midnight seems to be the best fishing. That bite will probably slack off during the full moon. Catfish is a good bet, with some anglers catching 3- to 5-pound channel catfish near the dam using chicken livers or worms. There is a fish advisory here that recommends people limit their consumption as follows for bass and black crappie: children under age six, no consumption; women of childbearing age, one 8-ounce fish meal per month; all other adult women three 8-ounce fish meals per month; adult men. four 8-ounce fish meal per month. For catfish, the consumption guideline is slightly different: for children under the age of six, no consumption is recommended; for women of child-bearing age, one 8-ounce fish meal per month; for all other adult women, five 8-ounce fish meals per month; for adult men, six 8-ounce meals per month. If you have any questions, call the park (928) 669-2088.
Bass fishing is still good. Crankbaits have been working well in the early morning. Grubs and plastic lizards work well in the afternoons. The crappie bite has slowed down. A few crappies are being caught using minnows and shad. Cat fishing is really good. 3 to 5 pound catfish are being caught using liver and worms. We are still getting afternoon winds. There is a fish advisory here. The advisory recommends that people limit consumption as follows for bass and black crappie: Children under age six: no consumption; Women of childbearing age: one 8-ounce fish meal per month; All other adult women: three 8-ounce fish meals per month; Adult men: four 8-ounce fish meal per month. For catfish, the consumption guideline is slightly different: for children under the age of six, no consumption is recommended; for women of child-bearing age, one 8-ounce fish meal per month; for all other adult women, five 8-ounce fish meals per month; for adult men, six 8-ounce meals per month. If you have any questions, call the park (928) 669-2088.
Bass fishing is still good in the mornings. One angler caught 22 bass and two crappies using three-inch curly tails. However, crankbaits seems to be the hot ticket this week. Chrome and black colors are working the best. Crappie fishing is still doing well. Anglers are still working the tree areas in the upper part of the lake. Small jigs and minnows work the best. Cat fishing is still good all over the lake. Liver and worms are the best bait. Afternoons have been windy. There is a fish advisory here. The advisory recommends that people limit consumption as follows for bass and black crappie: children under age six: no consumption; women of childbearing age: one 8-ounce fish meal per month; all other adult women: three 8-ounce fish meals per month; Adult men: four 8-ounce fish meal per month. For catfish, the consumption guideline is slightly different: for children under the age of six, no consumption is recommended; for women of child-bearing age, one 8-ounce fish meal per month; for all other adult women, five 8-ounce fish meals per month; for adult men, six 8-ounce meals per month. If you have any questions, call the park (928) 669-2088.
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