The Western Canal Fishing Area is located in Mesa, Arizona, and offers a great fishing experience for anglers. The canal is stocked with a variety of fish species, including catfish, bass, bluegill, and tilapia. Nearby activities include hiking, biking, and bird watching. To catch the best fish, anglers should use live bait or lures that imitate small fish or insects. The best time of year to visit is in the spring or fall when temperatures are milder, averaging around 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Visitors should note that temperatures can reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.

Featured Fish - Blue Catfish

The blue catfish is considered an excellent food and game fish. It prefers clean, swift-moving waters where it feeds primarily on fish and crayfish. It is a strong, well-toned fish with a fine, delicate flavor. The following are fishing methods used to catch this fish: The blue catfish, the channel catfish, and the white catfish are the only three catfishes in the U.S.A. that have distinctly forked tails, setting them apart from the bullheads and the flathead catfish, which have squarish or slightly emarginate tails. The blue catfish can be distinguished from the channel and white catfish by its noticeably longer anal fin, which has a more even depth and a straighter edge than in the other two species. There are 30-36 rays in the fin, versus 24-30 rays in the channel catfish and 19-23 rays in the white catfish. Internally, the blue catfish can be identified by the fact that it has three chambers in the swim bladder, whereas the channel catfish has two chambers. All three forked tail species may be almost uniformly pale blue or silvery in color, though white catfish may show a more distinct difference between the bluish black and white belly. Channel catfish frequently have spots.