Streams and Fishing Near Show Low, AZ

Part of Things To Do, our guides to parks, lakes, trails, camping, museums and clubs in the White Mountains.

Streams near Show Low are mostly reached through Forest Service campgrounds and trails on the Black River, Fish Creek and the Little Colorado, and the Forest Service names few species. Tribal waters use the White Mountain Apache Tribe’s own permits. Arizona Game and Fish rules could not be read as of October 23, 2026.

Checked Oct 23, 2026 · Edited by Sam Ridley · Sources · How we check

19 milesBlack River Trail #61 to the San Carlos Apache boundary

$10Tribe’s adult daily fishing permit

5 troutdaily limit, age 15 and up, on the Tribe’s waters

2Tribe’s price figures that conflict for Black and Salt River ($25 vs $45)

License and Permits

State waters and national forest: the Forest Service says an Arizona State fishing license is required to fish. Per the 2021 Game and Fish guide, licenses are sold online, and the Arizona Fishing Regulations booklet has seasons and bag limits. License prices are not confirmed.
Fort Apache Reservation: the Tribe’s FAQ says state fishing permits are not required there. A White Mountain Apache tribal permit is required and must be carried. The FAQ is dated, so confirm with the Tribe.

Streams and Access Points

Everything in this table is from Forest Service pages, with their update dates from 2025 and 2026, so fees and conditions are as of October 23, 2026. Wallow Fire (2011) hazards are noted on several trail pages. For lakes, see our lake guide.

Stream	Where and how to get there	Fish and rules	Notes
East Fork Black River	From Alpine, 2 miles north on US 191 to FR 249, west 5 miles on gravel to FR 276, then south 6 miles to the East Fork Recreation Area. Forest Service campgrounds: Aspen ($14 a night, streamside, 7,780 ft), Horse Springs ($16, 7,610 ft) and Buffalo Crossing ($14, 7,540 ft, largest sites).	Species and rules not confirmed on Forest Service pages.	Aspen has small first-come sites, no water or restrooms. Horse Springs water was removed for the season as of Oct. 15, 2024.
Black River (Trail #61)	The trail follows the river below Buffalo Crossing for 19.0 miles to the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation boundary. Main trailhead is across from the Buffalo Crossing entrance. From Alpine, south 14.5 miles on US 191 to FR 26, then about 9.5 miles to FR 24.	Called popular with trout anglers on remote stretches. No other species or rules confirmed.	Non-motorized only. Many black bears. Wallow Fire (June 2011) hazards. The tribal reach has its own permit (see below).
Fish Creek	Fish Creek Trail #60 runs from Hannagan Meadow toward the Black River (6.4 miles on one line of the page; the page also gives 5.5 miles from the Fish Bench Trail junction). FR 24 is closed between FR 26 and FR 24U.	A pure population of Apache trout. Fishing rules not confirmed.	No water on the trail. Wallow Fire hazards.
Little Colorado River headwaters (East Fork, West Fork, Greer)	Winn Campground ($20 single site, 9,320 ft) is near both forks; reach it from Springerville by Hwy 261 and SR 273 to FR 554. East Fork Trail #95 starts 5.5 miles south of Hwy 260 on Hwy 373 and crosses the West Fork with no bridge. Rolfe C. Hoyer Campground near Greer has the river within walking distance.	Called popular with anglers. Species and rules not confirmed.	West Fork trailhead trail is not cleared of hazards.
Blue River	Upper Blue Campground, about 17 miles southeast of Alpine by US 180 and FR 281, is listed for river and stream fishing. Blue Crossing Campground (6,200 ft) is also listed.	Species and rules not confirmed.	No fee at Upper Blue Campground. Far from Show Low.
Silver Creek	See our page.	Fishing rules not confirmed.	See unconfirmed list.
Show Low Creek	Not confirmed.	Not confirmed.	See unconfirmed list.

Apache Trout

The Forest Service says Fish Creek holds a pure population of Apache trout, Arizona’s state fish, which is threatened. A Game and Fish barrier keeps rainbow trout downstream.
Aker Lake, south of Alpine, holds Apache trout and Arctic grayling and is catch and release only, with artificial lures and flies only (Forest Service).
The Tribe lists several streams with naturally reproducing Apache trout as catch-and-release, single-hook artificial only (see below), and says it raises Apache trout.
Fishing rules for Fish Creek were not confirmed.

Tribal Waters: White Mountain Apache Tribe

These facts come from the Tribe’s own fishing site and Sunrise Park Resort, the Tribe’s enterprise. For the Tribe’s guide services, use the contact list on its regulations page. Our pages on tribal lakes and permits have more.

Rules From the Tribe’s Regulations Page

Permits are required for ages 10 and up; children under 10 must be with a permit holder.
Trout daily limit: 5 for ages 15 and up, 3 for ages 10-14, 2 for age 9 and under. Fishing is year round.
Artificial flies and lures only. Worms, salmon eggs, corn and PowerBait are listed as prohibited. One pole, two hooks at most. No fishing from boat docks. Live baitfish and chumming are prohibited.
Catch-and-release, single-hook artificial only: Loafer, Boggy, Little Bonito, Squaw and Flash Creeks; the North Fork at Ditch Camp east of Horseshoe Lake; and Pacheta Lake.
Tonto Lake is closed to non-members. Christmas Tree Lake is by reservation only, 20 anglers a day, $30 a day until July 4 and $25 after, single-hook artificial only. Cyclone and Hurricane lakes are rented by the day ($400 and $300) plus a $5 individual access permit per day.
The regulations page has no boating or horsepower rules, but the FAQ says all boats, including float tubes, need a daily or annual watercraft permit.

Bait: two answersThe Tribe’s regulations page prohibits bait. The Tribe’s weekly fishing report of May 21, 2026 lists worms, PowerBait and corn as baits for Hawley, Horseshoe, Sunrise and other lakes. Confirm with the White Mountain Apache Game and Fish Department, (928) 338-4385, before using bait.

Permit Prices: Two Sources Disagree on One

Item	Tribe’s price page	Sunrise General Store page (Aug. 27, 2026)	Match?
Adult daily fishing, ages 15 and up	$10	$10	Agree
Youth daily, ages 10-14	$3	$3	Agree
Adult annual	$200 (calendar year)	$200	Agree
Juvenile annual	$32	$32	Agree
Black and Salt River special use	$25 a day per adult	$45	Conflict
Pacheta Falls	$45	$45	Agree
Daily camping	$15 per vehicle	$15	Agree
Non-motorized boat	$10 daily or $30 annual (watercraft)	$10 per boat per day; float tube $5	Float tube price differs; the Tribe’s FAQ says float tubes need the boat permit

Older prices of $9 daily and $100 annual appeared on a handbook page; treat those as out of date. Hawley Lake campground rental is $200 a day (call Game and Fish).

Conditions

Per the Tribe’s dated FAQ, streams are stocked weekly in summer and high-country trout lakes once or twice a month. The May 21, 2026 report rated Hawley, Horseshoe and Sunrise lakes Good, and said Highways 473 (to Hawley) and 273 (near Sunrise) were open that day. Check the current weekly report.

How to Check Current Rules

Arizona Game and Fish: read the current Arizona Fishing Regulations booklet and the license page on azgfd.com. The Pinetop office phone printed in the 2021 guide is (928) 367-4281.
Forest Service: open the Apache-Sitgreaves recreation page for each site and look at its alerts and update date. Black Mesa Ranger District: (928) 535-7300.
State parks: read the Fool Hollow and Lyman Lake pages before a trip for boat access, algae and water notices.
Tribal waters: read the Tribe’s regulations, price and weekly report pages, then call (928) 338-4385.

What We Could Not Verify

Arizona fishing license prices.
The current Arizona Game and Fish regulations, including limits and special rules for Apache trout waters and Fish Creek. The Game and Fish website blocked our reading; the only Game and Fish source was a 2021 guide.
The Game and Fish stocking schedule for lakes and streams, including the East Fork Black River, the West Fork Black River, the Little Colorado at Greer and upper Silver Creek.
Silver Creek seasonal rules and any fishing rules at Silver Creek Hatchery.
Show Low Creek limits and whether it is a community fishing water.
Fish species in the East Fork Black River, Black River, Little Colorado and Blue River.
The Black and Salt River special use price: $25 (the Tribe’s price page) or $45 (Sunrise General Store page).
Whether bait is allowed on tribal waters: the Tribe’s regulations page and weekly report disagree.
Tribal lake acreage, elevations and boat limits.

More Guides

Questions People Ask

Do I need an Arizona fishing license for the Black River?

The Forest Service says a state license is required on state and forest waters. The stretch inside the Fort Apache Reservation instead needs a tribal permit, and the Black and Salt River special use price is shown as both $25 and $45.

Can I use bait on White Mountain Apache waters?

The Tribe’s regulations page lists bait as prohibited, but its May 21, 2026 weekly report lists worms, PowerBait and corn as baits. Confirm with the Tribe’s Game and Fish Department before using any.

Where can I fish for Apache trout?

The Forest Service says Fish Creek has a pure population and that Aker Lake holds them (catch and release, artificial only). The Tribe lists catch-and-release creeks. Fish Creek rules were not confirmed.

How much is a tribal fishing permit?

The Tribe lists $10 for an adult daily permit, $3 for ages 10-14 and $200 for an adult annual. Prices are as of October 23, 2026 and one special permit has conflicting prices.

Sources

Checked October 23, 2026 by It’s Show Low. Cite this page: It’s Show Low (itsshowlow.com), checked October 23, 2026. Free to quote with a link; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.

Streams and Fishing Near Show Low: Access and Rules