Arizona Fly Fishing: Exploring the White Mountains

The White Mountains
The White Mountains

I don’t know if I have hiked through more rugged terrain than we did on Saturday. Jake and I explored some new country, and even though the water was a bit high, we were able to pull a couple of fish.The creek and canyon definitely beat us up and by the time we were able to hike out, we had easily put 6 or 7 miles under our feet. For the amount of creek that we saw and fished, I would have expected a higher fish count, but I think we may have been a tad bit early. While Jake pulled several fish on dries, most of the others came on streamers, including the very healthy brown pictured below.

The Fiberglass Manifesto
Brown Trout
Brown Trout
Brown Trout
The White Mountains
The White Mountains
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8 Responses to “Arizona Fly Fishing: Exploring the White Mountains”

  1. Cory

    Out of curiosity, Ben, when you head up to the White Mountains, is it usually a day trip, or do you camp?

    Really enjoy your blog, it drives me to keep exploring AZ.

    Reply
    • azwanderings

      Thanks for the kind words Cory. I have done it as a day trip (although that is miserable). Typically, I try to make it at least an overnight. Driving up Friday afternoon and coming back Sunday seems to be the best use of time.

      Ben

      Reply
      • Cory

        Thanks for the timely response Ben! As an FYI my username on AZFAT is risetoadry – so you can connect the dots.

        Reply
  2. Colby

    Hi Ben,
    I’ve been spin fishing for trout for a long time now and found your blog a few months back. Your stories and photos have inspired me to look into fly fishing. A few weeks ago I took the Fly Fishing 101 class through Orvis. I had soooo much fun! I would like to get into the sport and was just wondering if you had any suggestions on rods, reels, or combos for a beginner?

    P.S. Nice Brown!

    Colby

    Reply
    • azwanderings

      Colby,

      Great to hear from you and congrats on finding fly fishing. Beware. It will take over your life. I guess my number one question is what are you planning on fishing for? It is widely accepted that a 9 foot 5 weight rod is a great all around rod. I primarily fish that when I am in the mountains. It can work well on bigger rivers like the Colorado and still works for bass and carp here in the valley. I would recommend buying the best that your money can buy, because if you love it as much as you say, you’re going to end up upgrading in the end anyway. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to go to the shop and cast as many different fly rods as you can. Find the one that you like and feel comfortable with and buy it. It doesn’t matter what the name is on it. Fish the one you like. Shoot me an email if I can help out in any way – ben@azwanderings.com

      Ben

      Reply
  3. Howard Levett

    Wow, it’s been many years since my last trip to the White Mountains. Now I’ve got an itch that needs to be scratched.

    Reply
    • azwanderings

      It’s a beautiful and rugged stretch of country. Arguably one of the prettiest spots in Arizona.

      Ben

      Reply

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