Veteran Arizona anglers know a secret: Winter lunkers at Canyon and Saguaro lakes often lurk around certain boat ramps and coves looking for an easy meal of inexperienced and dazed trout that are new to the neighborhood.

It's a startling welcome to the real world full of hungry aquatic predators.

Anglers and lunker largemouth bass have come to rely on the methodical biweekly winter trout stockings in these two popular Salt River impoundments close to Phoenix. The trout-stocking program by the Arizona Game and Fish Department offers anglers a two-pronged winter opportunity of catching a possible wall-hanger bass -- maybe even a state or world record -- and a delectable winter salmonid meal during the same fishing trip.

It's a winter treat that's tough to beat, anywhere, and you don't need to break out your thermal underwear for this winter fishing expedition, although the mornings are often chilly. However, be sure to put on plenty of sunblock, wear a hat and grab your best polarized sunglasses.

When heading to Canyon and Saguaro lakes, arm yourself with some of the largest and the smallest lures in the freshwater arsenal. Large trout-sized swimbaits are the rule for catching the green-backed behemoths. Small spinners or prepared trout baits are the ticket for catching delectable winter rainbows.

Most behemoth bass devotees at Canyon and Saguaro lakes have learned that when fishing big swimbaits for huge bass, typical bass rods and reels can leave you with a broken line and a sinking feeling, especially in your wallet. Lose one or two $30-plus lures in an afternoon, along with a couple of trophy-sized bucketmouths, and you'll be running to the catalog to buy some salt water gear.

Some of the 10- or 12-inch swimbaits can weigh up to 6 ounces. It's a physics equation. A 6-ounce lure at the end of 40 yards of line being hit by a 15-pound bass moving at 20 mph in 15 feet of water equals how many pounds of line-breaking action? Simply, it's more than enough to break your heart.

A favorite with the lunker-catching crowd are surf-casting outfits designed to cast heavy baits long distances, then haul in big fish through turbulent waters. This is also a good outfit to use for catching huge 30-, 40- and 50-pound stripers along the Colorado River impoundments where trout are stocked, such as Willow Beach and Lake Mead.

No matter what your outfit, a slow, sporadic retrieve is the rule of the day. One angler says he does best letting his big trout-like lure fall to the bottom, then popping it up with a few cranks on the reel and letting it settle back down again. Others like to slow-troll. I like to rip the big bait fast, and then let it hesitate or fall.

Those viewing the winter trout stocking are sometimes in for a treat; watching huge dark shapes charging through the clear waters to gobble up a disoriented rainbow. Sometimes those green-backed behemoths come and hover within a few feet of the stocking truck, like kids anxiously waiting on the sidewalk when an ice cream truck ambles over to the curb with music playing.

But it's luck of the draw to be there at the right time -- Game and Fish keeps the exact stocking day and time a secret. There is, however, a stocking schedule online at www.azgfd.com; look under "What's New." Typically, stockings take place early in the week.

The other good thing about using swimbaits for lunkers is that you don't necessarily need a boat. Fishing from shore is not only a viable method of fishing, it is the only way of fishing in specific recreation areas at both Canyon and Saguaro where boats are excluded and trout are plentiful.

Adam Hodge, a bass angler who routinely fishes both Canyon and Saguaro, says it's possible to use swimbaits year-round to catch the big bass.