Best Place to Fish: Mittry Lake

There are lakes and there are lakes for fishing.

Mittry Lake, located just a short drive from Yuma, is a lake for anglers, says Mark Brown, fisheries specialist for the Arizona Game & Fish Department's Yuma regional office.

And it's not just a lake for any angler, but for all anglers.

The lake harbors largemouth bass upwards of five pounds that will test the skills and wiles of the most seasoned bass fishermen. For those who want to take home fillets for the frying pan, the lake has flathead catfish that can tip the scales at 25 pounds as well as channel catfish.

And for parents who want to introduce their children to fishing, the lake offers easier-to-catch bluegill and red-eared sunfish.

Perhaps that's why respondents in Yuma's Best, the Yuma Sun's annual poll of readers' favorite area attractions, picked Mittry Lake as the Best Place to Fish in 2010.

Of course, many of the lake's visitors come not to fish but to paddle a canoe or kayak or ride a jet ski. But the lake is off-limits to waterskiers, meaning fishermen quietly stalking the cattail-lined shores for lunker bass won't be rocked by so many wakes from other boats.

“It's pretty much a fisherman's lake,” said Brown.

That doesn't mean catching bass at Mittry is a given; in fact, said Brown, fishing the lake's murky coves can be a challenging proposition.

And while the lake may not yield a lot of fish, he added, it has some big ones.

“There have been a few 10-pounders and upwards. Six- to eight-pounders are relatively common — which is a nice fish.”

The bluegill and red-eared sunfish are much smaller by comparison, he added, but are willing biters that will serve to encourage youngsters just learning the sport of fishing.

Besides the bass, bluegills, sunfish and catfish, the lake also has carp and tilapia, Brown said.

Mittry has improved and unimproved boat launches, plus numerous jetties where people can fish from the banks.

To get to Mittry, go east on Highway 95 from Yuma and turn north on Avenue 7E.

photos courtesy of the arizona game and fish Department

Mittry Lake's bluegill and other panfish can provide children hours of enjoyable fishing.