Blue Ridge Reservoir Fishing Guides
A steep walled canyon reservoir on East Clear Creek below the Mogollon Rim, officially C.C. Cragin, stocked with rainbows and holding a reputation for outsized browns.
Guides on the Blue Ridge Reservoir
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About the Blue Ridge Reservoir
Blue Ridge Reservoir, carried on the official record as C.C. Cragin Reservoir, is unlike anything else in the Arizona high country. It is a narrow flooded canyon rather than a basin, following East Clear Creek for several miles below the Mogollon Rim with ponderosa pine coming right down to steep rock walls on both sides. The surface area is small, on the order of sixty to seventy acres at full pool, but the shape is what defines it: there is almost no shoreline to fish from, the water is deep against the walls, and a boat or a float tube is close to essential for anyone hoping to cover it properly. The single steep ramp at the north end is the only practical launch.
Arizona Game and Fish stocks rainbow trout through the open season and they make up the bulk of what most visitors catch. The fish that gives the reservoir its reputation is the brown trout, which reproduces in East Clear Creek above and grows large in the reservoir on a diet that includes the stocked rainbows themselves. Browns here are not numerous and they are not easy, but they reach a size that is genuinely rare in Arizona, and a proportion of the anglers who make the drive are targeting nothing else. Green sunfish and bullhead round out a short species list that reflects how cold and how sterile this canyon water is.
The gauge reports reservoir elevation and stage at the dam. The reservoir is a water supply project delivering to Payson through a pipeline over the Rim, so the pool is worked hard in dry years and the level can fall a long way by late season. That drawdown steepens an already steep launch and shortens the reservoir noticeably at the upper end, where East Clear Creek comes in and where the best of the brown trout water is found.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Blue Ridge Reservoir.
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Pool right now
- Storage14,970 acre-ft
Reading taken 55 min ago at USGS 09398300, CRAGIN DAM RESERVOIR NEAR PINE, AZ (BLUE RIDGE). Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Pine - the community below the Rim to the southwest, with the nearest lodging and supplies.
Payson - the largest town in the area, half an hour south, with full services and tackle.
East Clear Creek - the inflow at the upper end, a wild trout stream in its own right.
Blue Ridge boat ramp - the single steep launch at the north end, the only practical access to the water.
Rock Crossing Campground - the Forest Service campground nearest the reservoir.
Clints Well - the junction up on the plateau to the north, the route in from Flagstaff.
Flagstaff - an hour and a half north, with the nearest airport and the fullest range of services.
Seasons
Spring: the road opens as the snow clears and the stocking begins, giving the most straightforward fishing of the year.
Summer: the reservoir stays cold in the canyon shade, and the brown trout become more active as the monsoon puts colour into East Clear Creek.
Fall: the best of the season, with browns moving toward the inlet to spawn and the crowds gone from the campgrounds.
Winter: the access road is snowbound and the reservoir is effectively closed for the season.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Blue Ridge Reservoir?
Anglers target Brown Trout, Bullhead, Green Sunfish, Rainbow Trout on the Blue Ridge Reservoir in Arizona.
Where can you access the Blue Ridge Reservoir?
Pine - the community below the Rim to the southwest, with the nearest lodging and supplies. Payson - the largest town in the area, half an hour south, with full services and tackle. East Clear Creek - the inflow at the upper end, a wild trout stream in its own right. Blue Ridge boat ramp - the single steep launch at the north end, the only practical access to the water. Rock Crossing Campground - the Forest Service campground nearest the reservoir. Clints Well - the junction up on the plateau to the north, the route in from Flagstaff. Flagstaff - an hour and a half north, with the nearest airp...
When is the best time to fish the Blue Ridge Reservoir?
Spring: the road opens as the snow clears and the stocking begins, giving the most straightforward fishing of the year. Summer: the reservoir stays cold in the canyon shade, and the brown trout become more active as the monsoon puts colour into East Clear Creek. Fall: the best of the season, with browns moving toward the inlet to spawn and the crowds gone from the campgrounds. Winter: the access road is snowbound and the reservoir is effectively closed for the season.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Blue Ridge Reservoir?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Arizona agency site: https://www.azgfd.com/fishing-2/licenses-and-regulations/