Home to the largest lake in Arizona, Lake Pleasant Regional Park offers incredible fishing opportunities – especially if you’re looking for bass. Many people, including famous tournament fishermen, have pulled monster bass from this deep, clear lake. And if you’re looking to catch other kinds of fish, don’t worry, Pleasant Lake offers much more than just bass. Here you can find a large variety of trophy-sized fish, including channel catfish, talpia and crappie.

driving directions

Just 30 miles north of Phoenix, you’ll find anglers at Lake Pleasant most evenings and especially on the weekends. Created by Waddell Dam, Lake Pleasant offer several diverse fishing environments – near the dam and marina where fish gather in the clear, oxygenated waters, in the middle where the depths reach 100 feet or more, and up the channels where the waters are full of nutrients.

Depending on the season, islands, reefs, and coves are great spots for fishing. Launch your boat from Pleasant Harbor Marina to begin your fishing exploration. Popular fishing spots include Castle Creek, Cole’s Wash, Humbug Creek, Jackson cove, and Honeymoon cove.

Lake Pleasant has the largest white bass population in the state, and rumors are that the “big one” is lurking somewhere in these waters. The best place to catch white bass is Humbug Creek using silver threadfin shad for bait.

Lake Pleasant boat ramps:

The following boat ramps provide access to Lake Pleasant.