Rim Creeks
Discover the fishing above Payson
This spot is one of our favorite due to the options it provides you. There are multiple streams with different types of trout in them. You have everything from fishing for rainbows right of the paved road to wild Gila trout in secluded remote creeks.
Season - Year Round
Wild Gila trout are only available
May 1 - Dec 31.
The Fish
Gila
Brown Trout
Rainbow
These trout are special. They are only one of two native trout to Arizona and are only found in a hand full of streams across our state. This is one place where you have the chance to catch wild native Gila trout and stocked.
Rainbow
Brown Trout
Rainbow
This one one of the few places in Arizona where you can catch wild Rainbow trout. They aren't big but they are beautiful fish. Along with wild there are many creeks where rainbows are stocked as well.
Brown Trout
Brown Trout
Brown Trout
Here it's all wild. There are multiple streams with them in it and some of them that's the only trout in there. They're prized for their wit and caution. There are some amazingly beautiful Brown out there and some really larges ones also.
The Creeks
Upper East Verde
Upper East Verde
Upper East Verde
The Upper East Verde is a stretch of water above Washington park that is home to wild Rainbow trout. The creek isn’t very wide maybe 10ft and a trickle of water coming down but the trout while maybe not big are certainly beautiful. This is the place To catch them if your trying to complete the Arizona Wild Trout Challenge.
Dude Creek
Upper East Verde
Upper East Verde
This is another small creek in the rim country. Home to the ultra rare wild Gila trout. This is the only place in Arizona to get them for the Arizona Wild Trout Challenge and the Western States Native Trout Challenge. This creek is hard to access and we use a side by side to get right up to the creek where the fishing is good. This creek is only fishable May 1 - Dec 31 each year.
Tonto Creek
Upper East Verde
Horton Creek
This creek is the most stocked and is the one with the highest pressure. Stocked with Rainbow trout from spring to fall the sees the most action. The stream is right next to the road so access for everyone is super easy. It offers some really fun sight fishing and the ability to catch some larger trout in the area.
Horton Creek
Upper East Verde
Horton Creek
Horton Creek is a golden creek for brown trout. This creek only has brown trout in it and the are 100% wild for decades. This creek has a hiking trail that follows it up to its spring so access isn’t to bad. This is the stop to take to get your Wild brown for the Arizona Wild Trout Challenge. It is fishable year round.
Christopher Creek
Christopher Creek
Christopher Creek
This creek is not to difficult to access it is a lot like Upper East Verde as far as terrain and where we go you have the option to either walk down into stocked water with Rainbow and Gila trout or walk up and get into more wild Rainbow. This water is stocked in the spring and fall.
Verde Glen
Christopher Creek
Christopher Creek
This Middle Section of the East Verde only has a couple pools that hold trout in them. But it is fun sight fishing and they are decent sized.
Haigler Creek
Christopher Creek
Haigler Creek
This is one of the most remote creeks in the Payson area. It doesn't see as much traffic as Tonto or the East Verde but it does get some crowds. It holds Brown, Rainbow, and now Gila Trout in it.