The Arizona Urban Fishing Program

Authors: Tom McMahon and Eric Swanson

Arizona’s Urban Fishing Program is a unique partnership with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and 11 municipalities. Twenty city park lakes are stocked every two weeks for 10 months with quality trout, catfish and sunfish supplied by private contractors. The intensive and reliable stocking of catchable fish creates a convenient, affordable and satisfying fishing experience for over 45,000 urban residents. The 24-year old Program is self-supporting through the sale of Urban Fishing licenses and partnership fees assessed to each city. Special regulations that include lower bag limits are used to maintain high catch rates and angler satisfaction. Outreach programs and positive publicity foster broad public support for this popular program.