Community fishing waters

IN THE VALLEY Avondale: Friendship Pond. Chandler: Desert Breeze Lake, Veterans Oasis Lake. Gilbert: Discovery Pond, Freestone Pond, McQueen Pond, Water Ranch Pond. Glendale: Bonsall Pond. Mesa: Red Mountain Lake, Riverview Lake. Peoria: Pioneer Pond, Rio Vista Lake. Phoenix: Alvord Lake, Cortez Lake, Desert West Lake, Encanto Lake, Papago Pond, Roadrunner Pone, Steele Indian School Pond. Scottsdale: Chaparral Lake, Eldorado Pond. Surprise: Surprise Lake. Tempe: Hallman Pond, Tempe Town Lake, Kiwanis Lake. AROUND THE STATE Ash Fork: Stone Dam. Casa Grande: Dave White Regional Park Pond. Maricopa: Copper Sky Lake, Pacana Pond. Payson: Green Valley Lakes. St. Johns: Patterson Ponds. Tucson area: Kennedy Lake, Lakeside Lake, Sahuarita Lake, Silverbell Lake. Yuma area: Council Avenue Pond, Fortuna Lake, Redondo Lake, West Wetlands Pond. into other areas of the state. Community lakes and ponds are being stocked in the Yuma area Ash Fork, Casa Grande, Maricopa, Payson and St. Johns. After the last expansion of the program in 2014, the number of stocked locations jumped from 21 to 36 and more could be added soon.

“We’re working on establishing partnerships with Show Low and Gila Bend,” Gurtin said. “There’s interest in several other cities like Mammoth, Holbrook, Thatcher, Kearney.”

Gurtin said the most recent department survey estimates that about 70,000 people have participated. He said the goal is to get that number up to 200,000 by 2025.