My wife and I found ourselves invited to Pinetop in the White Mountains in Arizona for the weekend of April 13, 14, and 15 by some friends we've known for quite some time. Andy and Deanne Cary were gracious hosts and we thoroughly enjoyed the weekend with them in one of their two cabins they rent out via VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner). If you are looking for another source of a good vacation rental besides Airbnb, try this company.
Andy has fished a bit but hadn't picked up his fly rod for a couple of years, so I asked if he'd be interested in fishing for a day while we were up there. He was enthusiastic, and I arranged for Mike Caporaso to fish with us as well. I had to borrow a float tube for Andy so we could take advantage of the best fishing the White Mountains had to offer. We collectively decided that Carnero Lake might be just the ticket. Sitting at about 9000' and somewhat protected by the wind, we made our way out there on April 15 and were fishing by about 9:00am.
The entry into the lake has not changed much. It is tough getting through the weeds that rim the perimeter, but once out into open water, the tubing was much easier. In past years, the weeds nearly filled the lake but this year, such is not the case, at least not yet. After kicking around for a bit, I found a pocket on the far side, near where a Bald Eagle was perched, that seemed to produce hits. I caught 3 and missed another 4. Mike caught 1 and had many other hits. Andy didn't catch a single fish, but probably had more hits than any of us. The fly of the day was a #10 Simi Seal Leech in black/red with a glass beadhead fished on or near the bottom. A few strips here and there seemed to produce better than anything else.
In the past, I have fished this lake and have done okay, catching the usual 12" stocker fish. But this time, we caught nice sized fish averaging about 16" with at least one going 18". If you're interested in this lake and catching these strong holdover fish, I suggest getting there soon. The weeds are sure to begin choking the lake and the temperatures are rising fast, which will make this lake essentially unfishable before the end of June.
I had just finished building a rod for Mike (a 9' 5wt. Winston Boron III LS) and he took delivery of it on this trip. He fished with it at Carnero and loved it. He was very impressed with how it looked and cast. As always, if you are interested in a custom rod, give me a call or drop me an email.