Big Bonito River Fly Fishing Report & Options for Selecting Flies: Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
We have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes that make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone Stream
Species
Rainbow Trout (wild and stocked)
Brown Trout (wild and stocked)
Apache Trout (headwaters)
Smallmouth Bass
Size
Medium to Large, about 30 miles of
water
Location
Northern Arizona White Mountains
Nearest Towns
Greer
Access:
Fair
Non-Resident License
State of Arizona
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Seasons:
The best fishing is from May through October but the hot summer fishing can be slow.
Spring:
Spring fishing is good after the runoff. The best fishing usually starts in May.
Summer:
The mid summer during hot weather should be fished early and late in the day.
Fall:
The brown trout spawn in the Fall and fishing picks up when the weather cools off.
| Recommended Tackle & Gear Fly Line: 4, 5 or 6 weight Leaders: Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing: 71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X Tippets: Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X, Streamer 0-2X Best Fly Rods: Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five or Ultimate Six Fly Reels: For 4/5/6 fly line Fly Floatants and Misc Items: Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators Tools & Accessories: Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc. Copyright 2016 James Marsh |
Fly Fishing Big Bonito Creek Arizona
Big Bonito Creek is a relatively high elevation trout stream located in Apache Country, Arizona. It flows through the Big Bonito Prairie. The eleven-mile long stream has cold, clear water with plenty of stream-bred trout. A special permit from the Apache Tribe is required to fish this lovely stream.
The stream can be accessed from reservation roads Y40, Y55 and Y70. These are dirt roads and rough in many areas depending on the weather. Beware traveling there during periods of heavy rainfall. You will need to do some hiking when you get near the Big Bonito Creek. Fly fishing Big Bonito Creek isn’t an easy undertaking. The stream isn ‘t easy to access. This is also a popular hunting area with plenty of wildlife including cougar, elk and bear.
The stream is approximately twenty feet wide or less and full of large boulders. Some of the water is pocket water but it has plenty of long sections of riffles and some deep pools. The lower sections of the creek hold slower moving water with larger, longer pools and less
pocket water. The stream flows off the south side of Mt. Baldy through the White Mountain Apache Reservation. Its upper sections fall at a steeper decline and has plenty of fast water. Its entire length is on Apache land. When it flows into the Big Black River it is a large stream for the Arizona Mountains. It has several tributary streams that are worth fishing including Little Bonito, Flash Creek and Squaw Creeks. The Little Bonita Creek is catch and release only. Little Bonita has two nice size tributaries – Lofer Cienega Creek and Crooked Creek.
This stream has lots of 14 to 16 inch streamborn brown trout. Some are much larger and catching ten or fifteen browns of the average size is very possible many days of the season. There are also plenty of smallmouth bass in its lower sections.