The key to fishing at Roosevelt Lake is to find the shad

Roosevelt Lake - Tonto National Forest, AZ


by Arizona Game & Fish Department
8-9-2013
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ROOSEVELT LAKE - Lake elevation is 2,099 feet, 46-percent full, water temperature 80-87 degrees). Gary Senft, a Bass Pro at Bass Pro Shops, fished the lake from Friday night to Sunday. Dropshots and Texas rigs produced the best bites. The top-water action was slow at times, as was jig fishing. Each day, Senft fished beginning at 6 p.m. and fish were hitting dropshots of 4.5- and 6-inch morning dawn Roboworms. Powerworms of 7 inches in dark colors also produced at night.

The key to fishing here is finding the shad. If anglers found shad in 15-20 feet of water, bass were within 10-15 feet away. If anglers didn't locate shad, fishing was quite slow. Curly tail worms worked better than straight tail worms.

Shad have not just been holding on points and islands. They also stuck to regular, rocky banks.

In general, fish were in 15-35 feet of water, with the best bites on largemouth bass being 15-20 feet.

If you want top-water action, try fishing the first hour of daylightg with Ricos.

Previously, James Goughnour of Rim Country Custom Rods submitted this week's report: Good morning Rim Country Anglers -The big news around Rim Country is the daily monsoon storms we've been getting this past week. Clearly this year has produced more moisture than the past several years. Let's hope it continues several more weeks.

Bass fishing on Roosevelt Lake was called "good" this past week by local anglers. The bass are in a summer pattern and anglers are reporting a good bite in the early morning and after sunset until about midnight. Due to the run-off from all the rain, the lake remained constant this past week at 46 percent full. A lot of water is being taken out of the lake for downstream use, so fortunately, it was offset this week by the rain.

The Salt River is flowing at 730 CFPS which is almost 200 percent of its normal flow for this time of year, while the Tonto Creek is flowing at 250 CFPS which is 1,200 percent of its flow for this time of year. Now as soon as the monsoons slow down the flow rates into the lake will drop significantly. But we're all glad to see water coming in to help the lake.

A Carolina rig using a lizard was the most successful bait used last week followed by a dropshot using a 6-inch worm.

However, Texas Rig technique and jigs were also reported successful. Most anglers are fishing main lake points or dropoff areas near flats such as Goose Flats or Connor's Ledge, which were reported as hot spots for the second consecutive week. Most bass are in the 15-25 foot depth, but some are being caught at 30 feet.

I also received a couple of reports of suspended bass in 30-40 feet of water where a spoon would be effective. Now this is typically a late summer or fall pattern, but if you see suspended fish on your graph, a Crippled Herring spoon might get some good action. I'm also getting sporadic reports of an early morning and dusk, top-water bite, so watch for bass chasing shad on the surface.

The crappie bite was called good last week due to the nighttime fishing under the full moon. Crappie were reported to be right in the brush or under a ledge. Vertical fishing with an ultra light rod and 4-pound test line was reported to get baits into the brush where the crappie school. Two baits were recommended this week: A Lil' fishy in the blue pearl color and a 2-inch motor oil and chartreuse tail grub.

Have a great week of fishing next week and I hope see you on the water.