State wants to change Becker Lake fishing rules

Karen Warnick - The Independent | Posted: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 5:00 am

ROUND VALLEY - Kelly Meyer of the Game and Fish Department presented information at a
public hearing at the Eagar Council chambers on changing the status of Becker Lake to catch and
release only. The meeting was held Sept. 21 and about 30 to 40 people attended. The proposal by
Game and Fish will be sent to the Game and Fish Commission in early October for a vote.
History of Becker Lake

"Becker Lake was created in 1880 by constructing a dam at the head of an old oxbow of the Little
Colorado River," according to Game and Fish. "The lake was used principally for irrigation
purposes. However, a fishery did exist there. In 1973, the Becker family sold 338 deeded acres to
the Arizona Game and Fish Commission which included the lake of approximately 100 surfaceacres.
In that year, the Commission directed the Arizona Game and Fish Department to manage
Becker Lake as a quality trout fishery. Since that time, the Department has managed the lake as
a‘Blue Ribbon' fishery with special regulations, such as motor restrictions, bag and possession
limits, restricted methods of take and seasonal closures. In January 2002, the Department
purchased an additional 291 acres of adjacent private land utilizing the Department's Heritage
Fund to protect and enhance stream and riparian habitat along the Little Colorado River for
wildlife species of special concern."
The property and water rights to Becker Lake are owned by Game and Fish, and is stocked with
rainbow trout. Brown trout recruit naturally from the Little Colorado River. The lake also contains
Little Colorado suckers, fathead minnows, green sunfish and stocked populations of Apache Trout
which are considered an enhancement population, strictly for put-and-take and not for recruitment.
Fishing is with artificial fly and lure only, with only barbless hooks, and the daily limit is two
trout.
Meyer said there is a need in the region to provide larger trout and only Becker, of 24 lakes in the
Region, has the necessary requirements. There are eight other lakes and the Little Colorado River
within one hour that all allow the use of bait and have no special requirements and allow the
taking of fish.
"Becker has the biological potential to grow 18-inch trout," according to Game and Fish. "It
doesn't have winter or summer kills, is accessible year round, and water levels are fairly stable. In
order to grow large trout, there has to be weeds and Becker qualifies."
The program would also reduce the number of fish needing to be stocked to only 250 pounds a
year which would increase the stocked trout by almost 2,000 pounds (6,000 catchable trout) at
other area lakes. Another benefit is the economic draw from attracting anglers throughout the
West which benefits the local communities. Forty-eight percent of anglers currently fishing at
Becker Lake are from outside Apache and Navajo counties and come to Becker because they can
catch 14-16 inch trout on a consistent basis.

In a five-page handout provided at the public meeting, it states that there is support for the
proposal. Public response has been collected in three ways: town council meetings, public
meetings, and a 2008 creel survey. In 2009, six public meetings were held that had over 175
participants. "There was a strong consensus at these meetings that they would support more
restrictive regulations at Becker Lake if it would provide larger trout," said the report.
The results of the survey show: 79 percent of current anglers at Becker would support catch and
release if it meant a better chance of catching an 18-inch trout, 67 percent of current anglers are
already practicing catch and release, and 65 percent of anglers who kept fish would support it.
Many of those in attendance at the meeting were not in agreement with the proposal. Comments
focused on the "family atmosphere" of the lake being lost to a few "elite" anglers that wouldn't
tolerate kids swimming and other family events. One person suggested that Game and Fish would
end up closing the lake to everyone but anglers, which was denied by Meyer. A woman stated that
the entire proposal was based on shaky statistics that were skewed by the simple questions asked
on the survey.

Other complaints were about the loss of a place for families to picnic and teach their
grandchildren to swim and fish without any fishing restrictions or bothering fishermen.
Game and Fish and the Eagar council are discussing a plan to lease 71 acres near the 26 Bar
Ranch and create a two or three acre community pond with sandy beaches and picnic tables.
Meyer said the Game and Fish was willing to lease the property for $1 a year, though a plan and
contract would have to be worked out. The Eagar council approved a resolution to submit a letter
of agreement with the proposal.

The Commission is still accepting comments from the public on the proposal and residents can
submit written comments regarding these proposals at fishregscomments@azgfd.gov.
•Reach the reporter at kwarnick@wmicentral.com.

Minutes of the Meeting of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission

http://www.azgfd.gov/inside_azgfd/documents/2010.10.8-9CommMtgMinutes.pdf


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A public meeting was held in Eagar, Apache County, on September 21 to provide information and gather comments on a proposed fishing regulation change for Becker Lake, located near the towns of Springerville and Eagar. A PowerPoint presentation was given to explain why Becker Lake was chosen for this type of management change and what it would mean for the fishery and the town. Comments were mixed, with 2/3 of the returned surveys strongly opposing the proposal and 1/3 strongly supporting the proposal. These results were vastly different from previous responses, which have been overwhelmingly positive. The Eagar Town Council discussed these comments and the proposal in a Town Council meeting immediately following the public meeting. The Town Council thought the benefits to the entire community outweighed the specific concerns of the 14 individuals that opposed the proposal, and voted to write a letter of support for the proposal to the Commission. The Department will also be presenting a similar presentation to the Springerville Town Council on October 6 at 6:00 p.m.