Back in the early '90s, after the dam was raised so the lake could hold Colorado River water from the Central Arizona Project Canal, Pleasant went through the new-lake syndrome and was producing so many big hawgs it was making Jimmy Dean green with envy. The parade of big ones has since trailed off dramatically. And then two years ago, the Agua Fria River did an imitation of the mighty Colorado River at flood stage. The lake went from its typical winter low to being full, seemingly overnight.

The influx of nutrients super-charged the biotic system, but something else happened. For more than a decade, Pleasant was not allowed to fill all the way to the 1,702 mark, its maximum level. Two years ago it did, flooding a band of vegetation that had seen water only once. The lake level was held at the 1,702 mark well past all the bass and shad spawns.

The result is that the parade of hawgs is back, although this time it's a much smaller showing. But you have to admit, the expectation of hooking into a hard-pulling 5- to 10-pound bass on any cast makes life more exciting.

Keep in mind that because Pleasant is filled every year with crystal-clear CAP water, it can be drop-shotting heaven. The clear water is also superb for spotting bass on their spawning beds.