I live in Tucson and grew up here. Leave your flyrods at home. Seriously.
You've got great saltwater fishing 4-6 hours south and into Mexico from here. Or you've got decent trout fishing 3-4 hours north and/or east of here. There are a string of warmwater lakes east of Phoenix, but those are at least 2-3 hours away from Tucson and you definitely need a boat. There are 3 urban ponds in Tucson that offer stocker trout in the winter and stocker bass and catfish year round. Some of these are reclaimed water and have a funny color. There are three warmwater ponds south of Tucson, all about an hours drive. You could fish these from shore. Arivaca Lake, Pena Blanca Lake and Patagonia Lake. Don't eat the fish as we have really high levels of naturally occurring heavy metals. The drive from Tucson to Patagonia via highway 83 is spectacular. Truly the best face of the Sonoran desert. And oddly really good wine country.
For trout, Oak Creek is probably the closest at about 3 hours north of Tucson. There is some other water in that vicinity that gets little to no pressure. I won't be putting that info on the list.
For a mixed bag that could include smallmouth, largemouth, carp, trout, and panfish of all varieties in moving water, the stretch of the Salt River east of Phoenix and upstream of the tubing place to the Lake Pleasant damn I hear is good with little flyfishing pressure and great wading access. It is about 2.5 hours north of Tucson.
There is a lake on the top of Mt. Lemmon, about 45 minutes straight up out of Tucson that is stocked with trout. But I wouldn't fish it without powerbait.
That said, hiking here is unparalleled. Tons of great trails right around town. There are endless miles of scenic drives. There are two cavern systems if you are into caves Colossal Cave and Kartchner Caverns. We have two National Monuments dedicated to the saguaro cactus. There is stellar birding here.
If you want more local intel, hit me up via email. I can fill you in on local bars and food. If I'm around, we should grab a drink.
Brad
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http://www.tpfr.org
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