Fossil Creek
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Fossil Creek, between the waterfall located approximately 1 mile above the Flume Trailhead parking lot along FS 708 and the downstream-most power line crossing, as the state words them
Gila County · River · AZ
The rules for this water, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from AZ's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.
- roundtail chubfirst Saturday in October through April 30 (out of season today)Gear artificial fly and lure only; single-pointed barbless hooks onlyCatch-and-release only for roundtail chub; no chub may be kept.
Statewide base layerParsed
These defaults apply where the rules above do not modify them.
- Season
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Gear
- “Angling” means the taking of fish by one line and not to exceed two hooks, by one line and one artificial lure, which may have attached more than one hook, or by one line and not to exceed two artificial flies or lures.Statewide
- Bait
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Poles
- In no case are more than two lines allowed to be used at the same time.Statewide
Where the verbatim rules above name a species, season, or limit, they replace the rows below. Each row is tagged with the layer it comes from.
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
Trout Varies by water: limit 2 (2 Trout Limit artificial flies and lures only); limit 5 (5 Trout Limit); limit 10 (10 Trout Limit); no minimum size, limit 4 (Community Fishing Program Waters - Lakes); no minimum size, limit 2 (Community Fishing Program Waters - Ponds) | 4 Any combination | - | Statewide |
Bass Varies by water: limit Unlimited — No Limit For Either Largemouth Or Smallmouth Bass (Unlimited — No Limit For Either Largemouth Or Smallmouth Bass); 13 inches, limit 1 (1 BASS LIMIT, MINIMUM SIZE 13 INCHES); 13 inches, limit 2 (2 BASS LIMIT, MINIMUM SIZE 13 INCHES); 13 Inches, limit 6 (6 Bass Limit, Minimum Size 13 Inches); 13 inches or more, limit 2 (Community Fishing Program Waters - Lakes); 13 inches or more, limit 1 (Community Fishing Program Waters - Ponds) | 6 Any combination | - | Statewide |
Striped Bass | 10 | - | Statewide |
Walleye | 6 | - | Statewide |
Northern Pike | Unlimited Immediate kill or release | - | Statewide |
Catfish Varies by water: limit Unlimited — No Limit For Either Flathead Or Channel (UNLIMITED — NO LIMIT FOR EITHER FLATHEAD OR CHANNEL); limit 2 (2 CATFISH LIMIT); limit 4 (4 CATFISH LIMIT); limit 5 (5 Catfish Limit When Taken By Bow And Arrow); no minimum size, limit 4 (Community Fishing Program Waters - Lakes); no minimum size, limit 2 (Community Fishing Program Waters - Ponds) | 10 Any combination | - | Statewide |
Crappie Varies by water: limit 15 (15 Crappie) | Unlimited | - | Statewide |
White Amur (grass carp) Varies by water: 30 inches or more (Community Fishing Program Waters - Lakes and Ponds) | 1 | min. 30 inches | Statewide |
Roundtail Chub | Catch and release only | - | Statewide |
Sunfishes | Unlimited | - | Statewide |
All Other Species | Unlimited | - | Statewide |
crayfish | unlimited number | - | Statewide |
Craugaster augusti (barking frog) | Two (2) per year or in possession live or dead | - | Statewide |
Rana catesbeiana (bullfrog) | Unlimited dead | - | Statewide |
Rana berlandieri (Rio Grande leopard frog) | Unlimited dead | - | Statewide |
White Amur or grass carp | 1 fish | min. 30 inch minimum | Statewide |
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide river rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
- This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
- Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.
Where this stretch begins and ends
The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's county.
Different sections of this water can have different rules. The exact section boundaries are not marked on the map yet; each rule above describes in plain words where it starts and ends, and that written description is the authoritative boundary. Map boundaries come water by water, never as a guess.
Season at a glanceDerived
Next change: opens Oct. 3, 2026.
Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.
At the water nowContext
Streamflow: 49 cfs at fossil creek near strawberry, az (2026-07-29 00:30)
Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in Fossil Creek's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.
Receipts
Local services near Fossil Creek
Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.
Run a shop or guide service on Fossil Creek? Get listed.