Whalen Tank

Whalen Tank is a reservoir in Graham County, Arizona and covers about 2.5 acres, reaches about 11.8 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 12.6 acre-feet.

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

Fish and Baits

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

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

One direct largemouth bass tactic on Whalen Tank is to work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover.

Start the channel catfish search on Whalen Tank by trying to fish cut bait or a nightcrawler on the bottom along a channel edge or warm flat.

How to Read the Water

Use this plain plan on Whalen Tank: make one shallow pass and one deeper pass on the same shoreline; that shows whether fish are tight to cover or using the first break.

Season by Season

A focused trip to Whalen Tank begins this way: early in the year, protected water and the first warm afternoon can be the best clues; as the water heats up, check deeper edges without assuming every fish is on the bottom; cooling fall water often makes points and firm banks useful again.

A Simple Tackle Plan

The first look at Whalen Tank should cover this: 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.

One way to read Whalen Tank is this: 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.