West Clear Creek Fishing Guides
A long wilderness canyon off the Mogollon Rim with deep swimming pools, wild brown trout in the upper reaches and smallmouth in the lower water.
Guides on the West Clear Creek
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About the West Clear Creek
West Clear Creek falls off the Mogollon Rim and runs roughly forty miles west through one of the deepest and most sustained canyons in central Arizona before reaching the Verde River near Camp Verde. Most of its length lies inside the West Clear Creek Wilderness, where the canyon narrows to a slot in places and the only practical route is the creek bed, often swimming. It is a serious piece of country and an unusual trout fishery for a desert state.
The creek is perennial and spring-fed, which is what makes the fishery possible. Water emerges cold from the Rim’s limestone and sandstone and stays cold well down the canyon, held in by high walls that keep the water shaded for much of the day. The channel alternates between long green pools deep enough to swim, short gravel riffles, and boulder gardens below rockfalls. Sycamore, ash and cottonwood line the wider benches.
Brown trout hold through the upper and middle canyon and are wild and stream-born, with rainbows present and stocked in the more accessible reaches near Bull Pen. As the canyon opens and warms toward Camp Verde the fishery shifts to smallmouth bass, and the transition is gradual rather than abrupt. Nothing here is heavily stocked or managed for size, and the fish reflect a system left largely to itself.
Fishing the canyon means committing to it. Below Bull Pen the walking is straightforward for a few miles, but the classic through-trip from the Rim requires multiple deep swims with a pack, and parties routinely take three days. Water temperature in the narrows stays cold enough that hypothermia is a real consideration even in summer, and flash flooding from Rim thunderstorms is the principal hazard. Most anglers fish the lower few miles as a day trip.
The lower canyon is popular through the summer, with Bull Pen Ranch and the Clear Creek campground drawing swimmers and day hikers in numbers. Walk upstream for an hour and the traffic thins quickly. The upper canyon, reached from the Rim near Blue Ridge, sees very few people at all, and the fishing there is as close to unpressured as central Arizona offers.
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Access
Bull Pen Ranch - the lower trailhead and day-use area, the main access to the canyon.
Clear Creek Campground - the developed campground near the lower creek.
West Clear Creek Wilderness - the protected canyon holding the great majority of the water.
Camp Verde - the nearest town, with full services and the Verde River confluence.
Coconino National Forest - the public ground covering the canyon and the Rim above.
Blue Ridge - the Mogollon Rim country at the head of the drainage.
Forest Road 214 - the Rim access road reaching the upper canyon trailheads.
Seasons
Spring: snowmelt off the Rim with high cold flows, and the narrows generally impassable.
Summer: the main season for the canyon, with warm air, cold water and thunderstorm flood risk.
Fall: the best conditions of the year, with low clear water, mild weather and thin crowds.
Winter: cold water and short days, with the Rim trailheads often snowed in and the canyon serious.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the West Clear Creek?
As of Sep 17, 4:45 am, the USGS gauge WEST CLEAR CREEK NEAR CAMP VERDE, AZ reads 31 cfs, with water temperature 69.1 F. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the West Clear Creek?
Anglers target Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass on the West Clear Creek in Arizona.
Where can you access the West Clear Creek?
Bull Pen Ranch - the lower trailhead and day-use area, the main access to the canyon. Clear Creek Campground - the developed campground near the lower creek. West Clear Creek Wilderness - the protected canyon holding the great majority of the water. Camp Verde - the nearest town, with full services and the Verde River confluence. Coconino National Forest - the public ground covering the canyon and the Rim above. Blue Ridge - the Mogollon Rim country at the head of the drainage. Forest Road 214 - the Rim access road reaching the upper canyon trailheads.
When is the best time to fish the West Clear Creek?
Spring: snowmelt off the Rim with high cold flows, and the narrows generally impassable. Summer: the main season for the canyon, with warm air, cold water and thunderstorm flood risk. Fall: the best conditions of the year, with low clear water, mild weather and thin crowds. Winter: cold water and short days, with the Rim trailheads often snowed in and the canyon serious.
Where are the fishing regulations for the West Clear 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/