Arizona Wildlife Conservation Strategy

Cave Creek Drainage Streams (Cave Creek-San Simon River) COA

Cave Creek drainage streams will be managed primarily for self-sustaining populations of native fish and secondarily as a sport fish coldwater/wild trout fishery featuring Gila trout. Aquatic habitat in Cave Creek drainage streams is still recovering from the Horseshoe 2 Fire, but speckled dace and a few rainbow trout remain. Once habitat improves, desert sucker and roundtail chub should be stocked to establish populations in the lower perennial reaches. Rainbow trout will be removed in order to stock Gila trout to establish populations in the upper perennial reaches.

Watershed

Upper Gila River

Map

Conservation Potential

Medium

Management Priority

Native Aquatic Species Management (Native Fish-Self-sustaining); Native Aquatic Species Management (Native Sport Fish-Self-sustaining)

Primary Strategy Species

Fish

Desert Sucker, Speckled Dace, Roundtail Chub, Loach Minnow

Secondary Strategy Species

Fish

Gila Trout