Our friend Jim Strogen has a couple of good fishing articles that recently ran in the Payson Roundup.

One is “Winter Fishing on the East Verde River.” Going fishing at Rim Country creeks and streams is a great experience. There are far fewer anglers than in the summer, you can see spots that are normally hidden behind summer vegetation, and the winter smells and quiet are a welcome change.

But winter fishing in Rim Country is not without its challenges, especially on the East Verde that has several deeper, slow-moving sections. These areas, while great places for trout over the winter, can sometimes be ice covered. In places that are free of ice, the water is extremely clear, so that requires a more stealthy approach as you make your cast. An extra attraction to the East Verde this year is that the Arizona Game and Fish Department sprinkled some Gila trout in the East Verde around Thanksgiving at the usual stocking points

Another article is “Too cold to fish? Renew license, take a class.” If it’s too cold for you to get out to fish right now, there are a number of other fishing-related things you can do, whether it be sitting down at your fly-tying vise and knocking out a bunch of flies to refill your fly boxes, or cleaning your fly line, or putting a new line on your spinning reel. Looking for an opportunity to talk about fishing with others? There are fishing clubs throughout the state, as well as Trout Unlimited chapters.