Dogtown Lake Fishing Report
No mapped spot data or current clarity reading exists for this lake, so the start is condition-based — verify the wind line on the water and commit to it.
THE CALL: Rainbow trout (my pick — a small high-country Arizona lake in mid-November is a trout day, and that's the target this lake is known for). Fish the wind-blown northwest shore with a 1/8-oz gold Kastmaster or #2 gold Panther Martin, slow-and-steady with occasional pauses, from 12:00 PM through the 5:03 PM end of the major period. The forecast's most manageable hours (12–5 PM, 9–10 mph SE wind, score 70) line up with the major solunar window — that's your day.
WHY IT WINS
- Water temp: last measured 62°F on Oct 30, which is stale — with 33°F overnight lows typical here now, I'd call the surface low 50s and dropping. That's prime cold-water trout territory; they'll feed all day in it.
- Seasonal phase: late fall. Trout are cruising shallow-to-mid depths (surface to ~10 ft on a lake this size) chasing whatever the wind stacks — my read is midges and small forage, so think small and slow.
- Wind: SE at 10 mph pushes bait onto the northwest shore — the tools name that as the wind-blown bank. Fish it, don't hide from it.
- Water color: likely clear to slightly stained; gold and silver flash beats bright colors today.
START HERE: The northwest wind-blown shore, working parallel to it in 4–10 ft, casting into the chop. On a 50-acre lake you can cover it all — start where the wind first hits a point or drop-off edge and work downwind.
THROW THIS: 1/8-oz gold Kastmaster, cast, let it sink 3-count, slow retrieve with a twitch every few turns. Backup in the box: a worm/marshmallow PowerBait rig fished on the bottom off the sheltered southeast shore if the spin bite dies — cold-water trout often want a still bait.
BEST WINDOW: Be on the water by 12:00 PM. Wind holds at 9–10 mph through 4 PM, drops to 6 mph at 5 PM, and air temps slide from 57°F to 47°F by 6 PM. The major period runs 2:33–5:03 PM — fish the whole afternoon, but expect the best of it late. Morning is the wrong call: 11–13 mph SSE with gusts to 24.5 mph by 10–11 AM.
NEXT MOVE: If 45 minutes of spoon on the wind-blown shore produces nothing, switch to the still-bait: anchor off the sheltered southeast shore, drop a PowerBait/worm rig to the bottom, and let the cold water do the work while you wait out the major period. No mapped spot data or current clarity reading exists for this lake, so the start is condition-based — verify the wind line on the water and commit to it.