General Fishing Information When Town Lake reopens permitted boats will be allowed on the lake from 5:00 AM until 10:00 PM. All boats operating after dark and before sunrise need proper lighting. The lighting configurations is a red/green or red bow navigation light and a white running light on the stern of the boat. You can use the street lights on Mill Avenue Bridges as a guide, if the street lights are on you need lights on your boat. For more information call (480) 350-8625. Fishing is allowed from the shore 5:00 AM until midnight. Town Lake Fishing Brochure

Fishing License Requirements
Fishing licenses can be purchased at any Arizona Game and Fish office and most fishing supply or sporting goods stores. Ages 14 and older are required to have a fishing license. Anglers fishing for trout must also have a valid Trout Stamp with their Class A license. Town Lake is considered a state fishing water, therefore, the Class U (Urban Fishing) license is not valid. 

Fish remains left on the shore can attract insects and create foul smells. Please do not clean fish at Tempe Town Lake.

Fish in Town Lake
While Arizona Game and Fish stocks Tempe Town Lake with trout, anglers can expect to find many other kinds of fish that have made their way to the lake through the Salt River Project canals and Indian Bend Wash. Here are brief descriptions of some fish that might dangle at the end of a hook:

Rainbow Trout
This fish has silvery, very fine scales and a spotted body with a horizontal pink streak on the sides. Most trout are from 9 to 12 inches. These fish are not easily fooled. To successfully catch trout, cover the hook completely and use a clear, fine weight line. Powerbait, salmon eggs, worms and cheese are the most enticing baits. The legal limit is four fish of any size for licensed fishermen and two for children.
Channel Catfish
These fish have spines in the dorsal and pectoral fins and long, whiskery-looking barbels at the mouth. Their bodies are scaleless and their tails are deeply forked. The younger fish are silvery with black spots, while older ones are bluish-black with white bellies. These fish can weigh from 1 to 6 pounds. The legal limit is four fish of any size. To catch these, fish at night, dawn or dusk and use worms, liver, shrimp or hotdogs.
Sunfish
Sunfish have small mouths and short, flat bodies ranging from 4 to 8 inches. The legal limit is 10 fish of any size. These are easily caught using mealworms.
Largemouth Bass
Bass are known by the wide, dark mottled bar on the sides of the body. They tend to be dark green on top and white on the belly. The legal limit of bass is four, but lake biologists prefer these to be released, as the hardy nature of the species allows it to be caught many times. Bass are the only species in the lake with a size limit. They must be at least 13 inches before they can be kept. Bass feed predominantly on other fish, especially bluegill, but they can be caught on crank baits and worms.
Other fish found in Town Lake are Israeli carp, Threadfin shad, Bluegill, Yellow bass, Common carp, and Inland silverside minnow.