This is the typical size for most largemouth bass in Arizona's Alamo Lake. Bruce Fritz hooked this one on a watermelon-colored Yum Craw Papi. Photo by Tony Mandile.

In 1836, a garrison of about 200 Americans, including Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, died fighting to free Texas from the control of Mexico. The site of the 13-day battle with General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican army was a Spanish mission -- the now-famous landmark known as the Alamo in San Antonio.

Since that bloody encounter occurred, the phrase "Remember the Alamo" has become as prominent in history as "I shall return," uttered by Gen. Douglas MacArthur during World War II.

But repeat, "Remember the Alamo" to an Arizona angler, and if he was around during the 1970s, you'll likely get a much different reaction. That's when Alamo Lake, located in the west-central part of the state, furnished some of the state's best bass fishing. Its fertile waters consistently produced 10-fish catches weighing 35 pounds, and bigger bass between 6 and 10 pounds were common.

Those days disappeared with the arrival of a long drought that affected many of the state's fisheries. But recent reports suggest it might again be time to remember the Alamo.

Rory Aikens is a public information officer for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. He often fishes Alamo and said fishing at the lake has improved dramatically, especially if you're after numbers rather than size.

"Most will be in the 3/4- to 1 1/2-pound range," he said. "But I always seem to hook one or two larger fish on every trip."

AGREEMENT HELPS REBIRTHT
Situated in the Bill Williams River Valley where the Big Sandy and Santa Maria rivers come together, Alamo Lake was originally designed as a flood-control project by the Bureau of Reclamation. The dam was completed in 1968. When filled to the spillway crest, the lake would cover more than 17,000 acres with a maximum depth of 80 feet.

Over the last two decades, except for one or two years of above-average moisture, the surface area has been a lot less than that. When the winter run-off is normal, the lake's surface area averages between 8,000 and 9,000 acres.

This up-and-down pattern of water level led to an agreement between various agencies to keep the lake filled to where it is more favorable to both fish and wildlife in the area. The joint effort between the AGFD, Arizona State Parks, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Corps of Engineers -- which controls the dam -- has helped the fishing by maintaining a higher water level during the spring months when the largemouth bass spawn.