Arizona Fishing Report - August 29, 2011

[The Hook Up Tackle]

Lake Pleasant has still been hot and spotty. When the timing is right, fishing is fantastic right now. Stripers are chasing, boiling, eating well. Largemouth are starting to chase and crash bait, and we’ve had some fantastic days on topwater for good fish this week. The biggest challenge now is, the timing is different every day, and if you miss the window fishing is tough. The best and most consistent times for the topwater action is absolutely the early morning hours. If you want to catch some good action on top, you need to be out first thing. Buzzbaits, Spooks and Ricos are all producing good largemouth and stripers right now for gear guys, and gurglers, poppers and shad streamers are still producing for fly anglers. The afternoons have been fantastic for striper action deep over main lake channels in 50-60 feet. Most of this action is on bait, but you can catch them on just about anything you drop if you get the schools going. These are still massive schools of stripers and an absolute blast to get on.

Saguaro Lake has fished really well this week. We’re not seeing huge numbers of fish, but there is some good quality largemouth coming out right now. Again, the morning hours have produced good topwater and swimbait action. Once the sun gets up the fish pull out into the shade and finesse tactics like a dropshot rig have been best.

Roosevelt Lake has also fished well this week. This is very technical fishing right now, with precise casts a must, but anglers who can make the right cast can catch a lot of fish. Most of this action has been on frogs and flippin. On a disturbing note, here has been some red slurry coming down stream from the fire run-off, and reports of dead fish are already starting to come in. Let's hope this isn't a repeat of the last big fire run-off.