Red Hat Tank

Red Hat Tank is a reservoir in Yavapai County, Arizona and covers about 2.2 acres, reaches about 11.4 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 10.9 acre-feet.

The small size of Red Hat Tank makes quiet casts and short moves more useful than carrying a pile of tackle. With little deep water in Red Hat Tank, weeds, wind, and water color can matter more than depth alone.

Fish and Baits

Fish listed for Red Hat Tank include Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Green Sunfish, and Largemouth Bass.

While looking for bluegill on Red Hat Tank, use a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets.

A useful largemouth bass plan on Red Hat Tank is to work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover.

The first channel catfish pass on Red Hat Tank should fish cut bait or a nightcrawler on the bottom along a channel edge or warm flat.

How to Read the Water

For a first pass on Red Hat Tank, use wind as a clue; a light push can carry food toward a bank, but hard wind may muddy it, so look for a clean edge near a point or protected pocket.

Season by Season

To begin fishing Red Hat Tank, spring runoff can add color and pull fish toward fresh water; green weeds and the first drop become stronger summer targets; in fall, follow bait toward points and shallow flats, while winter rewards a slower search.

A Simple Tackle Plan

Use this plain plan on Red Hat Tank: 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.

Before changing spots on Red Hat Tank, 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.