60 miles south of Tucson near the Mexican border is Arivaca Lake. This 90 acre lake is a great bass fishing lake. Thick vegetation pads on the shores provide cover for the fish. One fisherman I watched, cast a plastic frog onto the mats dragging it slowly along the surface until a bass exploded from underneath taking his lure. I was able to repeat this technique and catch a few of my own. This was an extremely exciting way to catch fish. I almost fell into the water the first time it happened.

Due to high levels of heavy metals found in the lake's soil, fish must be immediately released and may not be taken home. No doubt the toxic metals are the bi-product of mining in the area. Mercury and arsenic are both used in gold mining. Another very popular nearby lake, Pena Blanca, was completely drained so the bottom layers of metal-laden soil could be removed.