May fishing report, Central Arizona region – top-water time at Roosevelt

The highlight of the central region right now according to Arizona fishing guide and instructor Gary Senft is Roosevelt Lake, which has seen an excellent top-water bite, especially during afternoons when water temperatures rise to around 70 degrees. Bartlett Lake is a bit slow, Apache Lake is experiencing a golden algae bloom, Lake Pleasant is fishing average (decent numbers of stripers being caught) , and no report from Saguaro. The best option for shore anglers right now, however, is Bartlett Lake.

The Salt River chain of lakes elevation all are more than 90 % full. In the Verde system, Horseshoe Lake is at 82% and Bartlett 63%. See the SRP lake levels.

In general, during the next couple of weeks, fish warmer water during afternoon for largemouth bass when water temperatures peak as we’re coming off an unseasonably cool spring.

ROOSEVELT LAKE (2,148 feet in elevation, 97% full) –– Hit afternoons when water temperatures max out at around 70 degrees. The top-water bite has been good “all day” using Ricos, Senft said. Try different retrieval patterns. On Friday, May 3, from 10-11 a.m., Senft was ripping Ricos across the surface and getting bass to emerge from trees to blast the steel. Also, flipping Texas-rigged brush hogs has produced good numbers of largemouth bass, but Senft does not recommend throwing dropshots becauise of the high numbers of trees that get anglers snagged. Senft said bass have had a spawn at Roosevelt Lake despite an unseasonably cool spring. Senft also reported his son caught a nice smallmouth bass on May 3.

BARTLETT LAKE (1,770 feet, 63%) – The top-water bite has not begun yet at Bartlett Lake, which has seen a water temperature of 65-68 degrees lately. Senft said SRP plans to add 14 feet in elevation to the lake beginning Monday at 12,000 cubic-feet-per-second. “The fish have been confused because the water level has been up and down,” Senft said.

For more videos and reports from Senft, visit FishingwithGarySenft.com.