The second cast at Bartlett Lake Saturday morning, which sent a crankbait to touchdown just off a rocky point near the shoreline, produced that pop and pull from a bass we all surely love.

The 3-inch crankbait, diving and rising, duped a largemouth bass just after 8 a.m. Many more followed. The weather was bright and cool and clean with a party of four that included boat operator Skyler Clark, the fishing manager at the Mesa-based Sportsman's Warehouse. Just a whip of wind. Now's a great time to fish any desert lake such as Bartlett.

Largemouth bass were hitting just off the shoreline on deep-diving crankbaits. The above presentation involved reeling the crankbait quickly a few times, pausing around 4 seconds to let it rise, and then reeling quickly again. Repeating this process was effective until around 1 p.m., targeting shoreline points and ledges in around 20 feet of water. Water temperatures reached a high of 71 degrees.

The ledges and reefs in around 20 feet of water also could be targeted with green pumpkin Gary Yamamoto jigs and dropshot-rigged Roboworms (morning dawn.) Fishing leisurely, we caught about 20 bass during the morning.