Tonto Creek Fishing Guides
A long central Arizona creek running from the Mogollon Rim to Roosevelt Lake, stocked trout in the cold upper canyon and smallmouth in the warm basin below.
Guides on the Tonto Creek
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About the Tonto Creek
Tonto Creek runs the full drop from the Mogollon Rim to the Tonto Basin, gathering in the pines above Kohls Ranch and finishing in Roosevelt Lake some fifty miles south. That span means it is really two different fisheries sharing a name, and which one you are fishing depends entirely on how far up the drainage you are. The gauge sits low, above Gun Creek, in the warm-water end of the system.
The upper creek along Highway 260 near Kohls Ranch is the trout water. It is cold, shaded by ponderosa and sycamore, and runs through a sequence of pools and pocket water that is stocked heavily through the spring and summer. The Tonto Creek Fish Hatchery sits on the upper drainage and supplies much of the state’s stocking programme, and the campgrounds along this reach are among the busiest in the Rim country.
Below the Rim the creek enters Hellsgate Wilderness, a rugged and largely inaccessible canyon section, and emerges into the Tonto Basin as a very different stream. By the gauge reach it is a warm desert creek running through mesquite and cottonwood bottom, and the fishery is smallmouth bass, with catfish and sunfish through the lower reaches toward the lake. Brown trout persist in the cold pockets of the middle canyon where springs feed in.
The seasonal swing is large. Tonto Creek is flashy, and winter storms and Rim snowmelt can turn it into a genuinely dangerous river for days at a time. The crossing at the lower creek has a long and grim history of drownings during high water, and it is not a place to judge a flow by eye. At the other extreme, the lower reaches can run very low and warm by late June.
For most visitors the practical answer is to pick an end and commit to it. The upper creek offers easy family fishing with facilities, stocking and pine shade within an hour of Payson. The lower creek and the lake inflow offer smallmouth in open desert country with far fewer people. The wilderness middle is for experienced canyon travellers and rewards them accordingly.
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Access
Kohls Ranch - the upper creek along Highway 260, the centre of the stocked trout water.
Tonto Creek Fish Hatchery - the state hatchery on the upper drainage, open to visitors.
Tonto Creek Campground - the developed campground on the upper creek near the Rim.
Hellsgate Wilderness - the rugged middle canyon, walk-in only and seldom travelled.
Roosevelt Lake - the reservoir at the bottom of the drainage, with the creek inflow fishery.
Payson - the nearest town of size, with full services north of the drainage.
Tonto National Forest - the public ground covering nearly the whole creek.
Seasons
Spring: Rim snowmelt and high flashy flows, with stocking beginning on the upper creek.
Summer: hot in the basin and busy on the upper creek, with monsoon storms raising the water fast.
Fall: settled flows, cooler air and the best smallmouth fishing of the year in the lower reaches.
Winter: cold with storm flows possible, and the upper creek quiet between stocking runs.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Tonto Creek?
As of Sep 17, 6:15 am, the USGS gauge TONTO CREEK ABOVE GUN CREEK, NEAR ROOSEVELT, AZ reads 14 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Tonto Creek?
Anglers target Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass on the Tonto Creek in Arizona.
Where can you access the Tonto Creek?
Kohls Ranch - the upper creek along Highway 260, the centre of the stocked trout water. Tonto Creek Fish Hatchery - the state hatchery on the upper drainage, open to visitors. Tonto Creek Campground - the developed campground on the upper creek near the Rim. Hellsgate Wilderness - the rugged middle canyon, walk-in only and seldom travelled. Roosevelt Lake - the reservoir at the bottom of the drainage, with the creek inflow fishery. Payson - the nearest town of size, with full services north of the drainage. Tonto National Forest - the public ground covering nearly the whole creek.
When is the best time to fish the Tonto Creek?
Spring: Rim snowmelt and high flashy flows, with stocking beginning on the upper creek. Summer: hot in the basin and busy on the upper creek, with monsoon storms raising the water fast. Fall: settled flows, cooler air and the best smallmouth fishing of the year in the lower reaches. Winter: cold with storm flows possible, and the upper creek quiet between stocking runs.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Tonto Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Arizona agency site: https://www.azgfd.com/fishing-2/licenses-and-regulations/