Outdoors
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Senior fishermen Larry Jurgen (left) and Arthur Salas work together to successfully net the impressive catfish they caught at Pacana Lake.
Mysterious Mansion Mayhem returns
ultimately naming Charles Wergin’s Return of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein on Reinbold Drive as her favorite fright, with Martin’s previous winner Cradle Bay Children’s Sanitarium as her runner-up. Be Awesome Youth Coalition returns this year as a sponsor, joined by civic leader Vincent Manfredi in helping keep the community’s spooky spirit alive. As always, last year’s winner is not eligible for the top prize — so The Graveyard will be cheering (and booing) from the sidelines this year. Winners will be announced Nov. 1 with a special award ceremony and photo op. First prize is over $300 in cash and prizes; second place gets $200-plus and third place will receive at least $100 in cash and goodies. As usual, one random voter will be selected for a special prize. So get your pumpkins carved, your skeletons posed and your cobwebs strung — and get ready to make this Halloween Maricopa’s spookiest yet.
DAILY LIMITS FOR BAGGING FISH
4 RAINBOW TROUT
4 CHANNEL CATFISH
The Graveyard
L adies and gentlemen, boys and ghouls, it’s time once again to dust off those skeletons, drape the spiderwebs and power up the fog machines. Mysterious Mansion Mayhem Presented by InMaricopa , Maricopa’s beloved Halloween house decorating contest, is back for its third year. Whether you’re crafting a chilling front-yard graveyard to compete for cash and prizes or simply mapping out a spooky neighborhood tour to take the little goblins trick-or-treating, the festivities are right around the corner. The City of Maricopa launched Mysterious Mansion Mayhem back in 2007, hosting it through 2022 as the community grew. In 2023, city officials passed the torch to InMaricopa , and the contest has grown more spirited since. That year, more than 5,500 readers cast over 30,000 votes to crown Shaun Martin’s Cradle Bay Children’s Sanitarium as the top haunt. Last year’s second edition drew 46 haunted homes across town. When the votes were tallied last November, Joseph and Sabrina Sanchez of the Maricopa Meadows emerged victorious with their terrifyingly detailed yard display, The Graveyard, at 45571 W. Long Way. “I can’t believe that we won,” Joseph said after learning they’d taken the top prize. “I wasn’t expecting us to win because there’s many other badass homes here in the town … It’s to get the community’s response and see people driving all around town.” Voters get their share of the fun, too. Sebastian Fortin, who entered his own haunted yard dubbed Graveyard of the Forgotten, was randomly selected as last year’s lucky voter, which yielded a cash prize.
2 LARGEMOUTH BASS (MINIMUM 13 INCHES)
“It’s my favorite holiday — it’s kind of my Christmas,” Fortin said. “So I always go all out and add to our yard each year.” Local judges and sponsors add their own flair each year, too. Brandi Homan of Be Awesome Youth Coalition trick-or-treated her way through the entire 2024 contest map,
10 SUNFISH
The reel truth Planning to fish here in Maricopa?
1 WHITE AMUR (MINIMUM 30 INCHES)
Maricopa’s love of fishing is off the hook, and the lakes at Copper Sky and Pacana Park are reeling in anglers looking to test the waters. But before you cast a line, there are a few rules to follow: A valid fishing license from the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) is required. • Only fish during park hours, sunrise to 11 p.m. • Do not touch the water. • No feeding wildlife or waterfowl. • No pets allowed in water. • No floating objects like tubes or boats allowed in water. • No netting, spearing or trapping fish.
STAGECOACH DAYS FISHING DERBY
Pacana Park should be packed this October for the city’s Stagecoach Days Fishing Derby. For a $10 registration fee, kids aged 5-18 will receive a fishing pole and will have 90 minutes to catch and release the most fish in their age group, and the winners will receive some exciting prizes. Register here:
“The City of Maricopa works closely with Arizona Game and Fish to monitor the usage of the lakes at Copper Sky and Pacana Parks,” Williams said. Williams also explained that the city opts to educate whenever possible, and in fact, InMaricopa confirmed through a records request that the city has no record of any citations related to fishing. If you don’t want to be the first, be smart and throw that third bass back.
AGFD stocks both lakes with rainbow trout, channel catfish, largemouth bass, sunfish and white amur. “The lakes themselves are city-owned,” city spokesperson Monica Williams said. “However, Arizona Game and Fish are the ones who monitor the water quality and restock the fish as needed.” If an angler gets greedy, he could face up to six months in jail and a $2,500 fine. Five trout? You’re out.
InMaricopa.com | October 2025
October 2025 | InMaricopa.com
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