Rainbow and Albino Trout in AZ

AZGFD’s Canyon Creek Hatchery will provide some trout for the department's Community Fishing Program waters this winter. The current drought conditions have caused reduced spring water flows at the hatchery, making it difficult to maintain the quality water flow needed to support the large number of fish in its raceways. Utilizing some of the fish for winter stockings in community waters will reduce numbers of trout at the hatchery and help ensure the fish there have adequate water to grow and thrive.

The first of these stockings occurred on Nov. 25 when the department stocked trout from the hatchery into all three lakes in Green Valley Park in Payson. Altogether, about 350 pounds of rainbow trout and 350 pounds of albino rainbow trout were stocked. The rainbows averaged about 11 to 12 inches in length, while many of the albinos were in the 14-inch range.

“The albino rainbow trout are being stocked to provide anglers with a rare opportunity to catch an unusual fish,” said Geoffrey Rabinovich, statewide hatchery program manager for AZGFD. “Albino rainbows are easily spotted by predators, so they rarely occur in the wild in Arizona. However, they do grow well in a hatchery environment and are fun for anglers to catch.”

Stockings of some fish from Canyon Creek Hatchery will begin in Phoenix and Tucson Community Fishing Program waters in December. Rabinovich said these stockings will not impact the hatchery’s normal spring and summer stockings into state waters, as the money that is normally spent for out-of-state contractors for the Community Fishing Program in winter will now be used to help the hatchery maintain its normal schedule of trout production this summer.