In fact, he points out that having the slot limit ensured a strong age-class of prime spawners for when the lake filled last year. In future years, anglers are going to be harvesting a lot of fun from last year's bass explosion.

Biologists also expect another great spawn this year, if runoff is even close to normal from the Salt River and Tonto Creek. Back-to-back good spawns hold the promise of a bright future for Roosevelt, which could become one of the top bass fisheries in the West, if not the nation. Personally, I think you can count on it.

That's the future.

For the here and now, Roosevelt offers lots of choices on any given day. Rosey can be like three lakes in one: the Salt River arm, the Tonto arm, and the more narrow section between the two where the dam and the marina are located. There is also a giant lake-like cove that can take on a life of its own: Salome Cove.

SALT RIVER ARM
In the spring, the Salt River arm typically looks like chocolate milk from runoff. Floating trees and driftwood can be as common as fleas on a flop-eared old bloodhound basking in the desert sun. The influx of cold water from mountain snowmelt can delay the spawn in this end of the lake.

For your lure selection, think loud, noisy and smelly. I favor rattling jigs with scented trailers to fish this thick, brushy soup. Maybe add one more word, at least in early spring: slow. Slow presentations help when the bass ease out of their winter lethargy and are not quite as active. They are hungry, however.

The northern shore of the Salt arm bumps up against hills, bluffs and cliffs, with lots of submerged rock structure that's covered with brush and some saguaros. Floating saguaros look like menacing alligators. There are lots of shelves with deep water close by, and plenty of little indents that I call pocket coves. This is a good area to work spinnerbaits and crankbaits for pre-spawn bass -- a good run-and-gun area. It you hit bass, then slow down and fish it methodically. Otherwise, move on. There are plenty of other choices.

The southern shoreline of the Salt arm is more erratic, with lots of small coves thick with submerged brush and mesquite trees. During the spring spawn, those brushy coves can be a good bet. But don't expect to do much sight-fishing of bass on beds in the stained water. This is also a decent area for shore-anglers to work bass sitting behind the thick brush. In fact, sometimes it's possible to have pockets of clear water behind the brush where you can actually see bass. If you're thinking it can be worth it to get out of your bass boat and walk some, you're right.

A host of techniques can work.

Last fall, a fishing pal of mine, outdoor writer Lee Allen, put my oldest boy and me to shame by working a little crankbait magic in these small brushy coves. A crankbait with a slow wobble, bumping submerged brush, can get the bass excited. But bring plenty of crankbaits. The brush eats them quicker than my oldest boy, Jason, gobbles down donuts and sandwiches while fishing.