Once the largest man-made lake in the world,
Roosevelt Lake is the biggest of the six Salt River Project lakes
The lake covers more than 17,000 acres
Roosevelt is created by the confluence
of Tonto Creek and the Salt River.
The Roosevelt Marina has a concession where you can rent boats, camp and fish. The Lakeview Trailer Park has 10 spaces available for RV parking.
Also at the marina turnoff is the Tonto Basin Ranger Station.
On the highway on the way to Globe, is the
Tonto National Monument
and its cliff-dweller Indian ruins.
As you travel east you'll pass turnoff roads to the left that lead to the camping, boating and picnicking sites of Windy Hill, Grapevine Point and Schoolhouse Point. The Spring Creek Store, about a mile past the Schoolhouse Point turnoff, sells groceries, fishing tackle, hunting supplies and ice. Another mile farther is the turnoff to Roosevelt Lake Resort where you can find lodging, food and gasoline. If you cross the Roosevelt Bridge west to Highway 188 to Punkin Center, you will follow a paved highway that parallels the lakes shoreline. Six miles up the road is Bachelor's Cove, which offers picnicking, camping (trailers shorter than 16 feet only), fishing and boating. Past that is the Cholla Boating Site and campground. Following the road toward Punkin Center, you'll pass Bermuda Flats Recreation Site. This lake-bordering recreation site is popular even though it has limited facilities. However, it is closed by the Forest Service and Arizona Game and Fish Department from mid-November to mid-February each year for use as a refuge for geese. farther up Highway 188 is the Orange Peel Recreation Site
Records
/ History:
Climate:
In common with other lakes in the Phoenix area, summer water temperatures can exceed 90 °F, but cooling afternoon thunderstorms are common.
There are facilities at the lake, hilly but with some nice areas to fish from shore. This lake is well worth the trip if you live in Tucson or Southern Arizona. We enjoy this lake best in the boat with a motor, because it is soo big
Directions:Visitors can reach the lake via the Apache Trail, 80 miles from Phoenix, or by a 20-mile drive over the paved Highway 88 from Globe. The lake also may be reached from the Beeline Highway (State Route 87) via State Route 188.
Roosevelt Lake Thu. Jun 24, 2010 Rating: 5 out
of 10
Thu. Jun 24, 2010
We did pretty good at ol roosevelt. caught alot of bass on Sinkos and lime green colored crankbaits. We also caught some bass around the 3 lb pound mark on top waters early morning and evening.. at night we fished the dam for cats. i pulled in a 16lb flathead on a cut up bluegill. and a few big carp on stink bait.. i really enjoy this lake
Roosevelt Lake Thu. Mar 12, 2009 Rating: 5 out
of 10
Thu. Mar 12, 2009
fished all day 3/6/09. tried many different lures but plastics did the trick. double and single tail grubs and wacky worm set up with 5" senkos worked the best. the fish are still hiding in the underwater tree tops. lost a few in the braches so im gonna try a braid setup this weekend. try bright green plastics if your not catching anything. good luck see you on the water!
Roosevelt Lake Sun. Feb 1, 2009 Rating: 5 out
of 10
Sun. Feb 1, 2009
Thought I'd try my luck on the off season. Lots of spots were closed even thought they weren't underwater anymore. We spent a lot of time looking for spots and fighting with the brush that blocks access pretty much all around the lake because of the high water level. We went for 2 nights and fished quite a bit without hardly a bite. Worms, lures, different setups, nothing! Maybe in March
If they expect people to pay to camp there then they need to do a little maintenance like cutting back some of the bushes in areas, cleaning the damn bathrooms, or drain the sum a btch down a little.
Roosevelt Lake Wed. Aug 22, 2007 Rating: 5 out
of 10
Wed. Aug 22, 2007
stopped in at roosevelt fished the dam at night for about 3 hours caught 6 cats each. the were about 20-30 pounders. the next morning we fished for bass caught about 6 bass and then 3 sunfish. then that next night we caught 2 big carp. try chicken liver or stink bait at the dam. and for carp try cheese or stink bait. it was a good trip, and the water is nice.
Roosevelt Lake Tue. Aug 15, 2006 Rating: 5 out
of 10
Tue. Aug 15, 2006
We really enjoy Roosevelt Lake. It's so large, it never seems crowded. There are many camping spots. We caught a lot of catfish by the dam. There are some really big catfish that we couldn't reel in, they broke our lines. We'll have to gear up for stronger lines and poles next time. There were lots of bass jumping, but we must not have had the right bait for them. This lake is our favorite of all the lakes in this area. The only drawback is no trees. We have our own shade and a boat, so that is not a problem for us. There are camping spots with ramadas available. We are not knowledgeable "fisherman", so we really don't know much about fishing. But we could catch all the catfish we wanted. We also caught a blue gill. It was definately a lot of fun and very enjoyable. We will continue to return as much as possible!
Got to Rosey Fri. afternoon and fished crappie until dark then put out a light and fished until 10:00 pm. Caught 6 crappie, none huge, and went to sleep. Between daybreak and noon we caught two more. Tried a variety of minnow tipped jigs as well as minnow only. Tried bass for a couple of hours and no luck there. LOTS of floating debris prevent presentation to the bank. So much new vegetation is inundated that there are simply no obvious "features" to concentrate and hold fish. Suspect they are just scattered out everywhere.
The dam at Roosevelt Lake was raised 70 feet in 1995. Since then, Arizona has been experiencing a severe drought. In 2002, Roosevelt was at one of its lowest levels since the lake was created in 1911. This year, Roosevelt is close to full.
<br><br>
"We always expected that it would take years of decent runoff to fill Roosevelt. Now it is happening in a single season," says Jim Warnecke, a fisheries biologist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
<br><br>
During all those years of low lake levels, vegetation grew up in the exposed lakebed at Roosevelt. This year, approximately 8,000 acres of vegetation in the exposed lakebed became covered with nutrient-laden water. Above the old lake level this spring, it is expected that around 2,500 surface acres of prime, upper Sonoran desert habitat will be covered with water. That sets up a dynamic cycle.
<br><br>
Roosevelt is expected to go through what biologists call the "new lake syndrome," which in loose translation, means productivity that can rival any water in the nation, and possibly rival some of the more popular bass lakes in Mexico as well.
<br><br>
This spring, Roosevelt is expected to come within a few feet of the maximum conservation pool. By the end of summer, the lake will likely be reduced by water use to just below the old dam level. There it will stay through winter (with about 6,000 acres of submerged brush on the lake bottom). Then during spring 2006, normal runoff would send the lake level back into the prime Sonoran habitat again.
<br><br>
Prognosis: Roosevelt will be a top bass lake in the West, if not the nation. It should draw anglers and other water recreationists from near and far.
we where fishing back up in those new coves and around all the new cover but nothing but a little crappie we where useing minnows and jigs theye said there was a 12 pounder caught back a cove off a bassassin luker i got snaged 50 times and only lost one lure but its still fun to troll around in the boat
Roosevelt Lake Saturday, 26 march Rating: 5 out
of 10
Saturday, 26 march
Went to Rosie yesterday, had to see if my motor still worked and the boat still floats. Got on the water around 11am, fished for about 4 hours. I caught two largemouth in about 5-8 feet of water on a 6" black/green salamander. Had even more hits but failed to connect. All fish were in the backs of coves, however hanging around the fronts of the bushes. All catches and hits had one thing in common...flippin' was the key. Just a nice soft little "kerplop" right under the branches brought all the action to my rod tip.
The water's starting to clear up a bit, lots of clear, clean runoff now. I really like the new (?) pay format, in which one can either pay cash or use a debit/credit card for the days outing. Not sure how long this system has been in place, but I DO know the reason why it came about. Nice job, USFS.
With any luck, the bassies will be in full spawn mode in a couple of weeks, if not sooner. If you haven't made it to Roosevelt yet, better get there! The lakes sssoooooo big, one doesn't even notice just how many boaters are on the water at any one time. And the skiers/tubers are staying out on the main portion of the lake, which is always nice.
10 crappie at night on live minnows, 1 largemouth over the slot about 18 inches. Nothing during the day but 1 crappie trolling jigs near windy hill. Rest of them all came at night in sallie may.
3/16 Started fishing at 8:30a.m. and quit at 2:00p.m. Fished Tonto end. Caught 14 fish all LM, 1 slot 12 unders, and Mike caught one that was 5lbs. Fish caught on sinkos, and 4 inch Power worms texas rigged. Frank
We fished Thursday from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at which time the wind came up pretty good. The water temp was 57 degrees when we started and we threw spinnerbaits until eleven without a strike. We then switched to crappie jigs (1/24th ounce with a Kalin BBC grub) and started to catch fish. The temp was up to 60.5 at this time. We ended up with 9 under bass and 4 very nice crappie (the biggest was 1.7 lbs.) in three to four feet of water in the back of Salle Mae. The water temp was almost 66 when we finished.....Art
Fished today (March 18) from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and caught 2 Crappie on white grubs on 1/16th oz. heads. Caught 31 Largemouth on flukes and spinnerbaits. Seven were in the slot, and 24 were unders...........LeRoy www.cybertrails.com
The Lake is 86-percent full at elevation 2,141 feet and rising. The lake has approximately 10 more vertical feet to rise to reach 100-percent capacity. The Salt River was flowing at 3,100 cfs Tuesday morning and Tonto Creek was at 1,100 cfs. The lake is turbid and full of logs and debris; go slow and be careful. It has already exceeded the old lakebed for the first time since the dam was raised in 1995. Lots of new cover and added nutrients point to a fantastic spring for bass and crappie. The lake should also experience tremendous shad spawn this year. Get out on Roosevelt as much as possible when the water is rising to familiarize yourself with what will be underwater structure. This should be the leading edge of fantastic fishing at Roosevelt for at least the next several years. Some crappies are being caught trolling in 20-25 feet of using Power Grubs and Jumping Cholla Jigs. The Windy Hill area is the best, although a few crappies are being caught off the Tonto Arm. Crappie should pick up anytime now for the trollers (as soon as this weekend if weather holds). Watch for the fleet (60-80 boats) off the Tonto arm to know the action is heating up. Bass fishing was slow last week, but could change significantly with the advent of warmer weather. Drop shotting is the most effective fishing technique. Wired worms are also working. Many fish under the slot are being caught in the 10-13 inch range. Fishing for bass should begin to pick up this week. Fishing for smallmouth bass can be good; try using in-line spinners and crayfish imitations especially off rocky points and cliff walls. Smallmouth fishing is better than fishing for largemouth. Remember the slot is in place for smallmouth as well. Carp fishing is winding down; use corn or dough bait. The channel catfish bite has slowed. Use baits like corn, stink baits, and hotdogs. Please harvest largemouth bass under the 13-inch slot. Call the Mesa Game and Fish office at (480) 324-3544 if you catch a tagged flathead catfish. Note: anglers are reminded of the slot bass size limit that remains in effect at Roosevelt. Bass between 13 to 16 inches must be released immediately. Also those bass below 13 inches and above 16 inches that are kept can only be gutted with the head and tail attached so the legal length can be determined. All other fish such as crappie, catfish and bluegill harvested from the lake must have a piece of skin attached to the fillets so species can be determined.
The lake is 28-percent full at elevation 2,073 feet and dropping. The Salt River was flowing at 127 cfs Monday morning. Bass fishing has really picked up over the last week. Drop shotting is the most effective fishing technique. Crankbaits are also effective at times. Use topwater baits in and around shad boils. Many fish under the slot are being caught in the 10-13 inch range. One angler last week reported a 50-fish day (mostly unders) using Carolina-rigged dark colored worms. Other anglers are reporting lots of bass hitting wired worms. Smallmouth bass are also biting; try using in-line spinners and crayfish imitations especially off rocky points and cliff walls. Carp fishing is excellent; use corn or dough bait. Channel catfish are biting really well right now with fish in the 2-3 pound range being very common. Use baits like corn, stink baits, and hotdogs. Please harvest largemouth bass under the 13-inch slot. Catfishing is good. Reports of large flathead being caught in the Salt Arm of the lake. Call the Mesa Game and Fish office at (480) 324-3544 if you catch a tagged flathead catfish. Note: Anglers are reminded of the slot bass size limit that remains in effect at Roosevelt where bass between 13 to 16 inches must be released immediately. Also those bass below 13 inches and above 16 inches that are kept can only be gutted with the head and tail attached so the legal length can be determined. All other fish such as crappie, catfish and bluegill harvested from the lake must have a piece of skin attached to the fillets so species can be determined.
The lake is 31-percent full at elevation 2,079 feet and dropping. The Salt River was flowing at 434 cfs Monday morning. Bass fishing is slow; monsoon rains and rough water are making fishing tough in the evening hours. High temperatures in the day are driving fish deep. Topwater plugs and crankbaits are working at times. Use topwater baits in and around baitfish boils (shad). Drop shotting is still catching the majority of bass. Spinnerbaits with a white skirt are also working occasionally. Fishing is better at night. Many fish under the slot are being caught in the 10-13 inch range. Smallmouth bass are also biting: try using in-line spinners and crayfish imitations especially off rocky points and cliff walls. Windy days can be good for smallmouth as the waves stir up the rocky bottom. Carp fishing is excellent, use corn or dough bait. Please harvest largemouth bass under the 13-inch slot. Catfishing is good. Reports of large flathead being caught in the Salt Arm of the lake. Call the Mesa Game and Fish office at (480) 324-3544 if you catch a tagged flathead catfish. Note: Anglers are reminded of the slot bass size limit that remains in effect at Roosevelt where bass between 13 to 16 inches must be released immediately. Also those bass below 13 inches and above 16 inches that are kept can only be gutted with the head and tail attached so the legal length can be determined. All other fish such as crappie, catfish and bluegill harvested from the lake must have a piece of skin attached to the fillets so species can be determined.
The lake is 36-percent full at elevation 2,086 feet. The Salt River was flowing at 111 cfs and Tonto Creek was flowing at 1 cfs Monday morning. Crappie fishing is slowing down for some, but picking up for others. Two anglers reported catching 35 crappies at night under lights. Some are being caught trolling jigs in the Salt Arm of the lake suspended in 20-30 feet of water. Bass fishing is good. Summer patterns are starting to work. Topwater plugs and crankbaits are working. Also try spinnerbaits with a white skirt. As days get hot, fishing will get good at night. Many fish under the slot are being caught in the 10-13 inch range. Smallmouth bass are also biting; try in-line spinners and crayfish imitations especially off rocky points and cliff walls. Windy days can be good for smallmouth as the waves stir up the rocky bottom. Carp fishing is excellent, use corn or dough bait
The lake is 38-percent full at elevation 2,088 feet. The Salt River was flowing at 350 cfs and Tonto Creek was flowing at 5 cfs Monday morning. Crappie fishing is decent. They are being caught trolling jigs in the Salt Arm of the lake. Bass fishing is also good. Summer patterns are starting to work as the spawn is basically over. Topwater plugs and crankbaits are working. Spinnerbaits with a white skirt are also working. As days get hot fishing will get good at night. Many fish under the slot are being caught in the 10-13 inch range. Smallmouth bass are also biting; try using in-line spinners and crayfish imitations especially off rocky points and cliff walls. Windy days can be good for smallmouth as the waves stir up the rocky bottom. Carp fishing is excellent, use corn or dough bait. Please harvest largemouth bass under the 13-inch slot. Catfishing is improving but are not real active yet. Call the Mesa Game and Fish office at (480) 981-9309 if you catch a tagged flathead catfish. Note: Anglers are reminded of the slot bass size limit that remains in effect at Roosevelt where bass between 13 to 16 inches must be released immediately. Also those bass below 13 inches and above 16 inches that are kept can only be gutted with the head and tail attached so the legal length can be determined. All other fish such as crappie, catfish and bluegill harvested from the lake must have a piece of skin attached to the fillets so species can be determined.
The lake is 38-percent full at elevation 2,088 feet. The Salt River was flowing at 391cfs and Tonto Creek was flowing at 8 cfs Monday morning. Crappie fishing is decent. They are being caught trolling jigs in the Salt Arm of the lake. Bass fishing is also good. Summer patterns are starting to work as the spawn is basically over. Topwater plugs and crankbaits are working. Spinnerbaits with a white skirt are also working. As days get hot, then fishing will get good at night. Many fish under the slot are being caught in the 10-13 inch range. Smallmouth bass are also biting; try in-line spinners and crayfish imitations especially off rocky points and cliff walls. Windy days can be good for smallmouth as the waves stir up the rocky bottom. Carp fishing is excellent, use corn or dough bait. Please harvest largemouth bass under the 13-inch slot. Catfishing is improving but are not real active yet. Call the Mesa Game and Fish office at (480) 981-9309 if you catch a tagged flathead catfish. Note: Anglers are reminded of the slot bass size limit that remains in effect at Roosevelt where bass between 13 to 16 inches must be released immediately. Also those bass below 13 inches and above 16 inches that are kept can only be gutted with the head and tail attached so the legal length can be determined. All other fish such as crappie, catfish and bluegill harvested from the lake must have a piece of skin attached to the fillets so species can be determined.
Buy
Fishing Stuff 
