For longtime Arizonans, the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in the White Mountains has been a hallowed fishing ground with such historic waters as Ditch Camp, Hawley and Horseshoe beckoning year after year.

Currently, the 1.6-million acre reservation is awaking from its long winter's nap with all lakes full and streams running bank to bank, according to Tim Gatewood, the fisheries biologist for the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

"We should have pretty good water all summer," said Gatewood, a native White Mountain Apache who has been in charge of the tribe's fishing program for 10 years.

According to Gatewood, the tribe's Wildlife and Outdoor Recreation Division plants rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout and Apache trout in the reservation's 16 lakes and portions of 400 miles of streams available to the public. Only Apache trout, which were brought back from near extinction following a massive recovery effort some years ago, are stocked in the streams.

"Horseshoe Cienega Lake, which was drained two years ago to patch leaks in the dam, filled last year and has been restocked," said Gatewood. "In fact, we are putting 8,000 surplus browns into Horseshoe this month,"

Gatewood said he believes that Sunrise Lake, located near the tribe's winter ski area, has not suffered any winter kill this year, but he won't know for sure until he and his staff can personally check it out.

The tribe sells more than 100,000 fishing permits annually to non-tribal members. For 2009, the daily fee has been increased $1 to $7, allowing anglers to take five fish per day. A $75 annual permit is also available.

"We sold 120,000 permits last year and that is down from a high of 175,000 some years back," said Gatewood. "The numbers dropped after the Rodeo-Chediski fire in 2002 primarily due to dry summers when we have to ban campfires."

In addition to 12 lakes open to fishing, several other areas are available via special permits. Impoundments such as Christmas Tree, Cyclone, Hurricane and Earl Park are under special regulations. Hurricane and Cyclone are available under a rent-a-lake program where families, companies, organizations and others can enjoy exclusive use of a lake.

Earl Park Lake is managed for trophy Apache, brook, brown and rainbow trout and is available at $10 per day. Christmas Tree permits are $30 per day and the number of anglers is limited to 20 per day. Big Apache and brown trout are available.

Three current Arizona state record fish were caught on the Fort Apache. Sunrise Lake gave up a 4-pound, 15-ounce record brook trout in October of 1995. Reservation Lake gave up a 22-pound, 14.5-ounce state record brown trout in July of 1999 and the state (and world) record Apache trout weighing 5 pounds, 15.5 ounces was caught at Hurricane Lake in June of 1993.

For more information, visit wmatoutdoors.org or call 928-338-4385.