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I spent the Labor Day weekend camping with some family up on the Rim. For one of the days we hiked down to the inlet end of Chevelon Lake. We didn't get in there until about 11am. The fishing wasn't good for us at least, but I did see one guy in a float tube that caught one. I think that by that time of day the fish had all gone to deeper water.
The hike down was fairly short... maybe a half a mile, and dropped in elevation about 500 ft. The worst part was the 4miles of horrible road/goat track to get to the trail head.
There is a campground and trail up by the dam at the other end that is on a good road. Lots more people there though.
It was a very beautiful area and lake. Lots of elk around too.
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Looks like a great lake. Where is it at. I don't think I've ever heard of it. What kind of fish are in it. I'm assuming from the pics it is a cold water lake and in the mountains some where. Too bad the fishing wasn't better. It still beats sittin around the house. Dreaming about fishing or watching someone else fish on tv.
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It is up on the Mogollon Rim northeast of Payson. It is supposed to have nice trout, some bass, and catfish. We were there mainly for the hike, pretty country, camping, and giving the grandkids a chance to wet a line. We camped up on the rim above the creek, but didn't hike down to look at it. A bit too much for kids 7, 4, and 2. Lots of elk around the ridge there though, but I don't know what AZ's elk hunting regs are.
If I lived in Arizona I would pack a floattube into Chevelon and give it a good try again. Labor Day weekend and the end we were on wasn't too crowded. .... The road in could account for that!!!
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I fished there several times with my Grandfather, even used my tube once. The trout were mainly the stocked dinkers that didn't know better.
There are some good trout, whatever you use, run deep, and use a finder if you have one. Remember, Darwinism prevails, in this case, survival of the quickest learner. Also remember any meat or bait on the bottom will be attacked by crawdads, they're all over. The same for fish living or dead.
In summary, if you want to soak a line it's fine. If you want to catch 'em, I heard Lake Mary is a lot better.
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I've never fished this lake myself but I happen to know a few of it's secrets from other fishing buddies that have. This lake has very large brown trout. They spawn in October and November. This time of the year they will be in shallow water where the creek runs into the lake. F11 rapalas have always been my favorite bait for browns. If you're serious about catching the big ones, go into this lake on a day when the weather is borderline unbearable. I'm talking wind and snow at its worst and fish the bank that the wind is blowing into. It may seem crazy but you will not even notice the weather when you're pulling in large browns.
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