Arizona Fishing Calendar
What's biting month by month, and how many Arizona charters on Unreel target each fish.
| Fish | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Striped Bass9 charters · March to May and October to November | January: off peak | February: off peak | March: peak | April: peak | May: peak | June: off peak | July: off peak | August: off peak | September: off peak | October: peak | November: peak | December: off peak |
 Largemouth Bass7 charters · March to June and October | January: off peak | February: off peak | March: peak | April: peak | May: peak | June: peak | July: off peak | August: off peak | September: off peak | October: peak | November: off peak | December: off peak |
 Trout6 charters · May to October | January: off peak | February: off peak | March: off peak | April: off peak | May: peak | June: peak | July: peak | August: peak | September: peak | October: peak | November: off peak | December: off peak |
 Crappie4 charters · March to May | January: off peak | February: off peak | March: peak | April: peak | May: peak | June: off peak | July: off peak | August: off peak | September: off peak | October: off peak | November: off peak | December: off peak |
 Smallmouth Bass4 charters · April to June and September | January: off peak | February: off peak | March: off peak | April: peak | May: peak | June: peak | July: off peak | August: off peak | September: peak | October: off peak | November: off peak | December: off peak |
 White Bass3 charters · April to June | January: off peak | February: off peak | March: off peak | April: peak | May: peak | June: peak | July: off peak | August: off peak | September: off peak | October: off peak | November: off peak | December: off peak |
Shaded months are the typical peak for a charter trip. The outlined column is this month.
Arizona fishing, month by month
- January
- Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
- February
- Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
- March
- Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Crappie
- July
- Trout
- August
- Trout
- September
- Trout, Smallmouth Bass
- October
- Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Trout
- November
- Striped Bass
- December
- Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
Before you book
- Trout: May and June runoff can blow out freestone rivers, while tailwaters keep fishing. In hot spells Montana can close rivers after 2 p.m.
How this calendar is built
The charter counts are live from the Unreel directory: each one is a Arizona charter that lists that fish as a target. A fish only appears here if at least three local charters target it.
The shaded months are general peak windows for the Mountain West, not fishing regulations. For ocean species, the spawning, migration and federal closure notes were checked against NOAA Fisheries species profiles, and for inshore and freshwater species against state wildlife agency guidance and rules. Seasons, closures and limits change every year and can differ by water, so check Arizona's current regulations and ask your captain what is running before you book.