Telephone Lake

Telephone Lake is a lake in Navajo County, Arizona and covers about 44.6 acres, reaches about 17.7 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 315.6 acre-feet.

Telephone Lake can be broken down in a few passes: shallow cover, the first break, and the deepest useful water.

Fish and Baits

Fish listed for Telephone 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; follow bait before changing areas; use wind to narrow the search on this 44.6-acre lake.

For bluegill, use a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets; compare shallow and deeper water; use wind to narrow the search on this 44.6-acre lake.

For largemouth bass, work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover; make the next cast parallel to the edge; use wind to narrow the search on this 44.6-acre lake.

For channel catfish, fish cut bait or a nightcrawler on the bottom along a channel edge or warm flat; repeat the first clean pattern; use wind to narrow the search on this 44.6-acre lake.

While fishing Telephone Lake, 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 Telephone Lake, 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

At Telephone Lake, 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

When choosing a bank on Telephone 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.

A useful start on Telephone Lake is simple: 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.

Telephone Lake FAQs

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

Keep a bottom rig ready for low light, then fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops; slow down after the first bite.

What does the 17.7 feet deepest point mean when fishing Telephone Lake?

Treat 17.7 feet as the deepest point, not the automatic fishing depth; start beside cover and shift lower only when bites or bait give a reason.

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

Check a rocky edge, then move after checking the same useful feature at several depths without finding bait, a clean edge, or a bite; look for a second bite before leaving.