WHY I GUIDE PEOPLE FOR CRAPPIE FISHING IN ARIZONA
Hi, I'm Warren Raisanen
I developed an obsession for crappie fishing. It's probably mostly because Arizona crappies are HUGE! I love being out in nature and putting together the puzzle pieces of these beautiful, large and oh so delicious fish. After many years of doing this on my own and with family and friends I really want to share this with as many people as I can. I get great joy and satisfaction teaching people how to fish. Now it is more rewarding to me to introduce people to fishing than it is for me to catch them. There is more to it than simply learning how to catch crappies. There is the beautiful Arizona nature to enjoy and experience, making new friends and much more!
The First Arizona Crappie I Saw… to say I was excited is an understatement!
My friend Steve who taught me how to fish brought some of his boys and I to an Arizona lake in 1986. It was there that I saw my first Arizona crappie. One of his boys hooked it and was reeling it in. You need to first realize that the crappies I had seen in Minnesota were not much bigger than my hand. When I saw that crappie coming up it was so huge that it looked like a prehistoric monster to me! I ran across the boat going for the net hollering with excitement! Steve’s boys looked at me with a funny look that was saying “what is your problem?”. Steve told me years later that I was so excited that I had stepped on and broke his tacklebox. He said he did not have the heart to tell me at the time because I was so excited.
Please contact Warren to discuss the fee structure.
We accept these different forms of payments:
Cash:
-
Make checks payable to Arizona Crappie Guide.
Zelle:
-
Zelle address is arizonacrappie@gmail.com
Guided Crappie Fishing Trip Fees
Max allowed on boat is 2 guests.
LET'S GO FISHING
Want To Catch Crappie Over Two Pounds?
Arizona has a LOT of these monster slabs! 14 inch and over crappie are common here. And because our Arizona Crappie have all the shad they can eat they get fat and chunky! For example in January, 2024 I weighed a crappie just over 14 inches long that came in at 2.66 pounds!
Usually a 14 inch crappie here weighs two pounds or over. It is not at all unusual to land some well over 15 inches that start to approach 3 pounds… Having said that 3 pounders are NOT common but they are not unusual either.
Keep in mind that it is called fishing, not catching! So, sometimes even after all of the years I have chased crappie in our Arizona reservoirs I, like everyone have a tough day. When you contact me to schedule a guided trip rest assured that I will tell you what you should reasonably expect.
We fish reservoirs which vary in depth a lot
When a lake fills it can be 50 feet lower within a year. So the different depths basically make different lakes. The crappies will be in different parts of the lake depending on water temperature, water level and many other factors. In the spring or times of a lot of runoff the lakes can become quite muddy. When that happens the crappie fishing is simply not very good. Arizona crappie are not cooperative in muddy water in my experience
Arizona Crappie Information
-
Mostly black crappie in Arizona. Some lakes do have white crappie.
-
Bartlett Lake and Roosevelt Lake both have black nose crappie which Arizona Game & Fish have planted in them.
-
Two pound and larger crappie are common in the local lakes.