Tick tock: Time running out before Tempe Town Lake drained

PHOENIX — Time is running out for Valley residents to enjoy outdoor activities at Tempe Town Lake, at least for a few months.

The good news? It is open season for residents who are interested in fishing.

The bad? Less than a week remains until the lake is drained.

Arizona Department of Game and Fish has removed catch limits at the lake until it is drained. There will be no water in the lake from Feb. 10 to April 30 as the city finishes replacing the dam at the west end of the lake.

“When they decide not to enforce catch limits, what they are doing is saying is ‘Get your fill — any species — pull them out of the lake and we are going to drain it so we want it empty,’” KTAR Get Outdoors Host Mike Russell said.

Draining the lake will impact more than fishing enthusiasts as it sits empty for nearly three months.

“Paddle boarding, kayaking, rowing, it is all there and it is just a great place to visit and hang out with the kids,” Russell said. “You have (until Feb. 10) to do it, so get out there.”

When construction is finished on the dam, it will be the country’s largest hydraulically-operated steel gate dam system. It is expected to work for decades.