(Photo by Julie Levin/KJZZ)

Tuesday, Nov. 25 the Arizona Game and Fish department will drop 3,000 trout into Tempe Town Lake just in time for the city’s Welcome Back Trout Celebration.

Arizona’s Game and Fish Department has started stocking the state’s lakes and ponds with rainbow trout. The agency says it will release 340,000 trout over the coming weeks and months. Half the lakes and ponds stocked are in cities and towns.

Tempe Town Lake is one of those 35 urban lakes. It gets stocked during the winter months. That’s because rainbow trout are cold water fish and water temperatures need to hover around the low 60s in order for trout to acclimate and ultimately thrive.

Why put trout in city lakes? Nick Walter with Arizona Game and Fish said the agency wants to get people excited about fishing.

"We believe, especially for younger generations, it can be a healthy, longtime habit and we just want to encourage family and friends to get out there and catch fish," Walter said.

The agency stocks another 34 lakes in the state’s rural areas throughout the year. On Tuesday, Game and Fish will drop 3,000 trout into Tempe Town Lake just in time for the city’s Welcome Back Trout Celebration.