Arizona’s anglers are celebrating this Fourth of July with hundreds of thousands of new fish thriving in the state’s bursting lakes.

“Is this a great time to go fishing in Arizona? Absolutely, it is!" said Nick Walter, a public information officer with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. "With increased rains and runoff from the spring, waters are replenished and ready to fish!”

By replenished, he means an extra quarter-million fish stocked in Arizona’s lakes in the past three months alone, many of them catchable rainbow and tiger trout added to Willow Springs
and Woods Canyon Lake along the Mogollon Rim.

Last month’s fires forced the evacuation of the Tonto Creek Hatchery and Walter says they had a choice to release the fish.

"During particularly wet years such as this one, hatcheries struggle to produce enough fish to meet angler demands. So, what we need is more capacity to raise these fish," he said.

But before you put that pole in the water and unless you are under the age of 10, you’ll need a fishing license. The easiest way to get one anytime is online at the Game and Fish Department website, azgfd.gov. A standard license costs about $37 a year for Arizona residents. And don’t forget the bait!