Crystal Gardens Bass Fishing

Crystal Gardens is one of our favorite places to go when we only have 2 or 3 hours to fish. Click here to see  the YouTube video of our latest trip. It is a rare day when we get skunked there. We can usually catch something. It can be a great place to take kids.Crystal Gardens has 21 man made ponds to fish. Crystal Gardens has largemouth bass, yellow bass, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, mirror carp, grass carp, koi, and tilapia, I've even caught one smallmouth there. In this post we will focus on the bass fishing. Check back in the future for posts about catching the other species.

Important Information

These ponds are open to the public. An Arizona state fishing license is required. There are very specific rules. Please follow them if you'd like these ponds to remain open to the public. There has been discussion by the Avondale City Council in the past of closing these ponds to fishing. Fishing is strictly catch and release. Lures and flies must have single, barbless hooks. Prepared baits are not allowed. The only live bait allowed is worms. Respect the fish. Don't drag them onto the gravel or grass. Use a net or unhook them in the water. Lip the bass while holding them vertically. Respect the residents, do not litter or leave a mess.

What Baits to Use

Lures with treble hooks are not allowed. These ponds are part of the city of Avondale's water treatment facilities. They have plastic liners that could be torn by treble hooks snagging the bottom. Lures must have single, barbless hooks. We mainly use soft plastics... senkos, texas rigged rubber worms or craws, twister tail grubs on a jig head, flukes, paddle tail swim baits, carolina rigged lizards, drop shots, etc. If you're taking a kid fishing I would recommend floating a live worm under a bobber. But since fishing is catch and release, use a circle hook to prevent the fish from swallowing the hook. Remember, when using a circle hook don't set the hook by jerking the rod tip up like you'd normally do... just start reeling when you see the bobber sink.


Where to Fish

We've caught bass all over. Some of the ponds have patches of reeds in deeper water. Pitch soft plastics to the reeds and hop or swim them back. If possible, hop, swim or drag your soft plastic along the edge of the reeds. Some of the ponds have large, shallow flats where we've caught bass that are chasing minnows. Cast flukes, paddle tail swim baits or twister tail grubs on to the flats and hop or swim them back. Many of the ponds have large flats or rock reefs adjacent to deeper channels. These are obvious on Google Earth and the water is usually clear enough you can physically see these areas. Bass often hold in the transition area between flats and deeper channels. We also regularly see bass just cruising the deeper channels. In the hotter summer months, small bass often congregate near concrete ramps that extend into the water. These could be fun for kids to catch.

Other Keys

This water is usually very clear and there is little or no structure. Fishing pressure in these ponds is also probably high. We use fluorocarbon line and never use line heavier than 8 lb test and we often use 6 lb line.