March 2025| View Upcoming Events

March 2025 Newsletter

It’s March; it’s Spring; and it’s time for Spring Training Baseball. And, like major league baseball, it’s time to get your gear in order and yourself in shape for your upcoming fishing trips. March also is the time that nearly everything seems to happen at once. This year is no exception.

Welcome to the Zane Grey Chapter March 2025 newsletter. March celebrates the beginning of Spring, March Madness, Mardi Gras, Pi-Day, and it is when activities really start churning.

In February we had two- Salt River Saturdays, one with Arizona Flycasters Club (AFC) and one with Desert Fly Casters Club (DFC). Both events were well attended, and we also had AZGFD R3 group and Trager Grills furnishing lunch. Our next Salt River Saturday is with AFC this week. Come join us. You may register here or look for an upcoming announcement.

We are returning from TU’s Pacific Regional conference. This year TU held the event in conjunction with the Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show. As always, it was great to see old friends, meet some new ones, and with the Fly show, we saw some fly-fishing community friends, outfitters we’ve fished and traveled with, or new ones we may put on the bucket list. Overall, the experience was a different but intriguing event, from previous TU regional and national events.

I’m speaking at Arizona Flycasters Club meeting, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Come join us at the Arizona American Italian Club; doors open at 6pm; meeting begins @7pm. I’ll be giving an update from the Pacific Regional conference, and the state of TU In Arizona

March is a wonderful time of the year in Arizona. In addition to Spring Training baseball, we have every conceivable festival, event, and outreach show possible. It is also an opportunity for you to volunteer and help!

Our upcoming activities are varied, and we need volunteers for all these activities. Among the activities are:

• Salt River Saturday with Arizona Flycasters Club, Saturday, March 8, Come out and join us.
• AZ Fly Shop Spring Fling AZTU-ZGTU host a table – March 15
• Salt River Saturday, March 22
• Chandler Nature @ Night, Chandler Nature Center 6-9Pm Saturday March 22
• AZGFD Outdoor Expo – March 29-30 with AFC, DFC, AZ Fly Shop, we’ll have our casting games as well as some swell SWAG. Come out and see us.
• Native and Wild Trout Conference, AZGFD HQ, 9-4, April 11, 2024
• Salt River Saturday, April 5,
• Salt River Saturday, April 19, Earth Day co-hosted by ZGTU along with the AZGFD R3 representatives Alec Young and Chase Newlon. We are hosting Alpha Kapa Alpha Sorority. More about the specifics of this event in next month’s newsletter.
• 2025 Fish Camp three sessions: June 1 – 6, June 8 – 13; & June 15 – 20. We need Volunteers for a variety of duties. We’ll send more details separately.

We encourage you to join us for these many activities. Volunteer by completing our volunteer sign-up here. Click here to see our events calendar and what we have scheduled. We’ll continue to update these events, so check back frequently.

Complete our survey here https://forms.office.com/r/GT8anamCEz

Zane Grey Chapter is expanding, so we’ll have a series of Pint Nights around Western and Northern Arizona. We visited Lake Havasu City in December at Martini Bay. Sorry if we didn't get a chance to say hello ... but we'll have more events soon.

We plan these events as an occasional series of live meetings for our members, and to make new friends. So, stay tuned … there are more to come! We'll determine our next event during our board meeting and let everyone know where we take our act on the road next.

Your ZGTU board asks that as you read this newsletter, please think about how you would like to join in and help promote fishing, conservation, education, and love of nature. You may contact me or any board member to let us know about your ideas.

We hope you can join us, or better yet volunteer to help with these many and varied activities. 

Until then, 

Tight Lines. 

Alan Davis

While my friends in Montana have been weathering intense snowfall and sub-zero temps, Arizona had one of the most sublime winter and spring seasons in recent memory. No rain, but every day has been spectacular in the desert. And, as things heat up, it won’t be long before the mountains thaw out and our remote streams and lakes will be accessible. 

So, who better than high-country guide Cinda Howard to give us some insight on what to expect and where to go? Here’s what she says…

March White Mountain Stream Conditions

This time of year, you need to be aware of what is happening with weather. We are finally seeing some moisture arrive and you never know when you will be caught in a snowstorm. 

Nighttime temps for the next two weeks are predicted to be anywhere from 10 to 25 degrees so things could start icing up again. I would focus on streams that are a little lower in elevation like the main Black River. Right now, roads are still closed and aren't scheduled to open until around April 15th, weather permitting. 

To access the Black on the forest side, you will need to come up from Alpine as that is the only road currently open. Silver Creek remains open for catch and release through March and like most years, the trout get very picky due to pressure. Try small leaches and various zebra midges. Keep in mind that the wild Apache and Gila trout streams will remain closed through April to allow these fish to spawn in peace. 

Your best bet is to hit the trout lakes. Most of them are ice free and fishable. Becker, Horseshoe, Cienega, The Greer Lakes and Sunrise are all open and fishing well. I would try leeches (both jig and balanced) in dark colors, and chironomids in black, red, gray, etc.  

This time of year, we don't need to be on the water at the crack of dawn. Plan on fishing during the heat of the day. These fish will be looking for a warmup and you will find them cruising in shallow water. The same goes for streams. It takes them a while to get active in the colder water temps. 

Look for fishing opportunities to change drastically in the next month. By early to mid-April, a lot of streams will be warming up and the trout will be a lot more active. 

Feel free to contact Cinda if you have questions about any particular fishery at cinda@flyfisharizona.com.

Also gearing up for the spring thaw is AZ Fly Shop. February was especially busy with the successful Winston Days events Feb. 21-22. This is how it’s done, folks. Getting people out and building community. 

Coming up March 15 is AZ Fly Shop’s 4th annual Spring Fling fly fishing extravaganza and fundraiser; vendors, fly tiers, discounts, raffle baskets, guides, weenie roast and more. What’s not to love? Things kick off at 10 a.m. and go until 4 p.m. All funds raised go to Casting for Recovery. And we need volunteers to help staff our table. Sign-up here!

And, on Saturday, March 22 at 9 a.m. at AZFS our friend Cinda Howard is teaching her Fly Fishing 101 workshop. It is a full day of instruction and costs $150. You can register or get more information on the class here. 

Coming up in Zane Grey Land

Arizona Fly Casters' monthly meeting will be Tuesday, March 11 at the American Italian Club 7509 N. 12th Street, Phoenix, AZ. Speaker is our very own Alan Davis, Chairman of AZTU and President of Zane Grey Chapter. Meeting starts at 6 p.m.

Desert Fly Casters' monthly meeting will be on Wednesday, March 12 at the Elks Club, 1775 W. Chandler Blvd, Chandler. Speaker is Cinda Howard, Fly Fish Arizona and Beyond. Meeting starts at 7 p.m.

And, if you need to renew your TU membership you can do it here easily. This link should take you directly to the renewal page.

February Meeting Summary

The AZ Trout Unlimited Public Policy Committee (AZTU-PPC) held its normal monthly meeting on Thursday, February 13, 2025, at 7:00 pm. The speaker was Kristen Johnson, J.D. and manager of Colorado River Section Water Planning & Permitting Division with the Arizona Department of Water Resources. Kristen provided an explanation of the differences between the Upper Basin proposed alternatives for post 2026 determination of Colorado River water allocations and the Lower Basin proposed alternatives for water allocations and the impact on the Glen Canyon Dam.

The AZTU-PPC was recognized in the 2023-2024 TU National Annual Report with the following narrative: "Throughout the nation, TU chapters champion sustainable water policy to unlock funding and turn restoration visions into reality. In Arizona, the Zane Grey chapter's Public Policy Committee sharpens their advocacy skills by engaging elected officials, political candidates, governmental agency leaders, and other organizations to promote durable coldwater conservation policies. Now a council-wide committee, the group actively participates in the Arizona legislature's Western River Action Network Day, supports an annual event where legislators engage with hunting and fishing NGO's (Camo at the Capitol) and spearheads letter writing, phone call and email campaigns for various conservation initiatives. Key issues include beating back bills that seek to transfer of federal public lands to Arizona, excessive use of groundwater, game and forestry management, and the Clean Water Act."

We thank TU National for this recognition!

Legislative Update

The 2025 state legislature is in session and bills have been drafted. We are monitoring the bills of interest and reporting on them to the AZ TU community. Certain members of the TU AZ Council attended the Western Rivers Day (formerly Western River Action Network Day) at the Capitol on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, sponsored by the Audubon Southwest. The TU members had the opportunity to meet with their legislators and staff to discuss surface water and ground water issues in the State.

Nate Rees reported at the AZTU-PPC Strategy Summit on March 1, 2025, that there are two bills that TU opposes HB2083 regarding the AZ Game & Commission board members and SB1278 regarding the sale of private lands. Please consider logging on to the RTS system and express your opposition to these two bills.

Arizona Water Issues

Tom Osterday - Past Chair AZTU PPC

Tom Osterday met with Arizona Senator, Tim Dunn, in March 2025 and discussed ground water and surface water issues.



Upcoming Public Policy Events

There will be NO normal meeting of the AZTU-PPC on Thursday, March 13, 2025, as it was replaced by the AZTU-PPC annual Strategy Summit on March 1, 2025.

There will be NO regular scheduled AZTU-PPC meeting on Thursday, April 10, 2025, as members of the AZTU-PPC are being requested to attend the annual Native & Wild Trout Conference on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at the Arizona Game & Fish Department Headquarters located at 5000 W Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ.

The AZTU-Public Policy Committee hosts a virtual meeting on the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM until 8:00 PM. If you are interested, please contact Ron Stearns at PublicPolicyChair@az-tu.org.

Save the Date – April 17^th

Another year has gone by and it’s time for the 16th Annual Native and Wild Trout Conference to be held on April 17th from 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM at the AZGFD headquarters.

Last year more than 110 individuals from over 25 agencies and organizations attended to learn about many wide-ranging topics from a variety of presenters. 

Don’t miss this highly informative networking event to hear the latest on native and wild trout restoration activities in Arizona and New Mexico.

Registration by April 8th and topics can be found at www.az-tu.org. 

If interested in helping contact Alec Young or Jim Walker  to volunteer. 

Join us as we host a series of Salt River Saturdays with our Fishing Club partners, Desert Fly Casters Club (DFC), and Arizona Fly Casters Club (AFC), and of course with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD).

We begin with our first Salt River Saturday on November 16 and continue through April. Look for additional announcements later this month. We scheduled the Salt River Saturdays as follows: 

Rod Buchanan reports: Desert Fly Casters and Zane Grey Chapter-Trout Unlimited co-sponsored the Salt River Saturday Conservation and Fishing event on Saturday, February 22nd, at 9:00 a.m.

It was absolutely a beautiful morning, and the event was well attended with about 30-40 participants. Like the January event, the February event last month was also a huge success. We were there about a month earlier and still many bags of trash were picked up, and many, many, fish were caught! I want to thank those who attended and those who helped the new fly fishers!

Then as a special treat Alec Young arranged for pulled pork sandwiches!

This was such a fun event I am already looking forward to the two cleanups next year and then fishing the Salt River again together!

Thanks again for the enthusiastic effort to keep trash out of our waterways!



Rod Buchanan

Catch me at: 209-815-0062; rodbuchanan23@gmail.com

The Arizona Council consolidated the Arizona Trout Unlimited chapters. Effective January 1, 2025, much of eastern and southern Arizona, Kingman and Navajo County east and south including White Mountains: Show Low, Greer, etc., is becoming a part of the Old Pueblo Chapter based in Tucson.

The Mogollon Rim, and areas west of Kingman, including Flagstaff, Lees Ferry and the Colorado River down to Yuma become part of the "new" Zane Grey Chapter based in Phoenix. The below map will give you some idea of the new alignments. The Green areas are the new Zane Grey Chapter, while the Blue areas are the Old Pueblo Chapter's new alignment. The non colored areas are National parks, Military reservations, or other government areas, do not have postal delivery Zip code, and few if any residents.

The Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation (AZSFWC) license plate fund is derived from the sale of wildlife conservation license plates and member organizations as well as non-member organizations are eligible to apply for those funds. 

The Arizona TU Council and Chapters have received funds over the past twelve years to support the Annual Native and Wild Trout Conferences, Fish Camp, Trout in the Classroom programs and various conservation projects.

The next time your registration comes up for renewal, choose the conservation license plate option at registration to show your support for conservation and our projects. 

Social Media: 

Check out our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/zanegreytu Check out the Instagram page for

Arizona of Trout Unlimited: @Trout_Unlimited_Arizona

If you're more traditional, try signing up for the private Facebook group: Arizona Women of Trout Unlimited.

Below is a list of fishing organizations in Arizona. Feel free to join, explore, visit their websites or attend a meeting to find out more information:

Make sure to follow our Instagram @Trout_Unlimited_Arizona



You may access our calendar here. 

Zane Grey Trout Unlimited