Lower Lake

Lower Lake is a reservoir in Maricopa County, Arizona and covers about 42.7 acres, reaches about 28.4 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 522.7 acre-feet.

Lower Lake is compact enough to fish slowly, but a change in weeds or bottom can still split it into separate patterns.

Fish and Baits

Fish listed for Lower Lake include Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, and Largemouth Bass.

For black crappie, fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops; match the hook and line to the named target; keep the presentation close to useful cover on this 42.7-acre reservoir.

For a quick bluegill check, try a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets.

For largemouth bass, work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover; let two bites set the useful depth; keep the presentation close to useful cover on this 42.7-acre reservoir.

For channel catfish, fish cut bait or a nightcrawler on the bottom along a channel edge or warm flat; let a light jig fall beside the break.

A focused trip to Lower Lake begins this way: other targets listed here include Common Carp; give each one its own bait and depth instead of trying to catch everything with the same rig.

How to Read the Water

At Lower Lake, start where two things meet: weeds and open water, rock and mud, a point and a drop, or clear water and dirty water; fish that edge at more than one depth before leaving it.

Season by Season

When the bite is slow on Lower Lake, in spring, start with warming banks, creek mouths, and shallow cover; summer usually pushes the better bite toward the outside weed edge or a nearby drop; fall can bring bait back to windblown points, while winter calls for smaller moves and a slower pace.

A Simple Tackle Plan

Use this plain plan on Lower Lake: a medium spinning rod, 8-pound line, a small box of jigs, a few crankbaits, and a simple bottom rig cover most situations; change depth or speed before changing every piece of tackle.

At Lower Lake, record the wind, water color, productive depth, and cover after a bite; those four notes are more useful on the next trip than a long list of spots that did not produce.

Lower Lake FAQs

What is a simple way to start fishing for black crappie at Lower Lake?

Change depth before changing the whole spot, then fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops; let two bites set the useful depth.

What does the 28.4 feet deepest point mean when fishing Lower Lake?

Treat 28.4 feet as the deepest point, not the automatic fishing depth; start near cover and move deeper only when bites or bait give a reason.

What is the best reason to change spots at Lower Lake?

Work an old channel turn, then move after checking the same useful feature at several depths without finding bait, a clean edge, or a bite; keep a worm ready for a slower check.