[quote=Bullwinkle]Caught this 6-10 Rainbow at a nearby San Diego lake. Makes the 2 pounder look small. I look like "Grumpy Cat" because I was trying to organize my stringer while my camera timer was about to go off.[

more info please? Name of lake? time of day? bait/lure/fly? location at lake?

always keep tip down, barely above the water, when cranking or jigging. only raise pole tip after you feel the bite. this allows for a tighter line and less slack when you set the hook. bass have a bony head and you need to drive the hook hard to keep them from getting off.

my old buddy, Ray Hill (RIP) from Payson was the best Roosevelt fisherman I ever knew. knocked them out every time I went out with him. taught me the "tip down" style.

I recently posted on Roosevelt lake fishing. if you cant find it, let me know and I will try to re-create it. bottom line, Roosevelt is full of bass and all the standard lures and bait will work.

If you're fishing from a boat, best bet is Roosevelt Lake. It's about a 90 minute drive but the good thing is you can stop in Globe and eat at the J&R Fine Mexican Food. Best ever.

there are bass all over the lake. almost any kind of standard bass rig will produce, in deep holes and shallow water along the banks. mandatory to use a fish finder to make sure you're on fish. there are several underwater mounds that you wouldn't even know about without one.

keep in mind that the "lake" is one of four that are actually "reservoirs", in that only by erecting dams along the Salt River were the four lakes created. you should be able to easily find the river channel with a decent fish finder.

There is a good shop at the marina with lots of information about local guides, the bite, and where, etc. I've always thought it was a good idea to show up with nothing and hire a guide for a day and then do your own thing with the knowledge gained from equipment and lures the guide uses. with a lake as big as Roosevelt you might need two days.

As far as my personal experience from hundreds of hours on the lake, WestyWorms, "fat rap" crank bait, and weedless jigs and plastic worm rigs. I've used buzz baits (single and double bladed), live minnows, live worms. shiny trolling lures of all kinds, and top-water blurpers, if the bass are chasing shad boils.

my early childhood days were spent in Marianna, so trips to Panama City were always special. will always remember the sugar white sand, shell hunting, and all the shiny white fish that could be seen in the shallow water after you put a face mask on.
My dad and his insane fighter pilot buddies, stationed at Graham Air Force Base, rigged up spear guns, donned their flippers, face mask, and snorkel, and brought back hammerheads, barracuda, and assorted other fish.

Awesome rig. you're gonna kill them at Roosevelt, by far the best bass lake close to Phoenix (Alamo better but farther)
I've spent hundreds of hours on Roosevelt, day and night, and learned from the best: Danny Westfall (of "WestyWorm" fame), and a guy name Ray Hill (RIP) from Globe.
Westyworms are the best lure I've ever used there. double hooked, weighted head, usually dark colored (black with yellow stripe at night. Purple with red stripe during day. run slowly parallel to the shore about 30-50 feet out, depending on the steepness of the bank. if you can land the lure right where the water hits the shore or rock face, then pop it lightly as it sinks "downhill" on retrieval, if there's bass in the area they will hit it. mostly on the way down from being popped. any kind of anomaly in the configuration of the rock faces, or shore line is a good spot to aim for. use a baitcasting reel with a stiff rod, always tip down until you set the hook. 6lb test is enough, but a good 10 is better if you get little snag ups.
If you go up to the "Tonto" end, there are stick ups everywhere, and the bass love to hang out there. You just have to go with a weedless presentation or stay away from casting into the middle of the branches-a sure way to lose a lure. when the lake recedes you can see hundreds of lures embedded in the exposed branches.
On the "Salt" end, flashy neon yellow and chartreuse spinners, double and single bladed, will haul them in from all along the shore line and some underwater hills.
If you go out at night with a floating lamp (lamp encased in styrofoam collar) you can attract a million minnows and scoop them out for use as crappie and bass bait.
We captured a couple bass and brought them back to our office fish tank to experiment with different live bait-we used waterdogs, minnows, worms, and crawdads. without a doubt, the bass preferred the crawdads. so anything you can do to mimic the way a crawdad scoots along or near the bottom, the better.
One other great lure for trolling (serpentine) or casting to the shore or in the stick ups, is the "Fat Rap", a Rapala crank bait. connect to line with a snap, not a snap swivel, or the Rapala knot.
If the moon is full, you can go out at night and do the same things as in the day.
If you get a night off, go into Globe and get excellent food at J & R' s El Rey fine Mexican food.

Couldn’t agree more!

Second that on Costa Rica.

San Luis Reservoir (striped bass) and nearby O’Neill Forebay just west of Los Banos
Pinto Lake north of Watsonville
UVA’s Reservoir by Morgan Hill

Absolutely. Caught mucho trout on the White river near Hebert Springs Arkansas using treble hook with mini marshmellow, corn, and salmon egg. Called it a “salmon egg sundae”. Split shot up the line. Simple but deadly.

Also used them to float Canadian crawlers on Colorado River-Marble Canyon/Lees Ferry all the way up to the dam. lead weight up the line calibrated to make it bounce along the bottom.

one that worked for me:
Warm up a can of corn and drop the heated kernels into the hole, using the tiniest treble hook, leaving one hook exposed. no weight necessary as corn and hook will sink slowly.

"Bow to the King!" was the wording on a big sign at the marina we launched from on the Rio Colorado in north east Costa Rica. The tarpon left the ocean to go upstream in search of "longostino" (little lobsters/craw fish). When I asked what the sign meant, the guy explained that Tarpon (the "King") always fly up into the air and shake their heads violently to rid themselves of the hook. As they do that, it's important to let up on the line (by bowing forward toward the leaping fish) because if you keep on the tension and the fish spits the lure, the lure will come flying back at you about 100 MPH. Given that we were using three treble hooked, 10 inch pencil popper lures (red head, white body) it could be very dangerous to everyone in the boat (one guide two fishermen). so I pass that along as an anecdotal recommendation.

I've been going to Santa Cruz since the late 50's and am very familiar with the area. My best advice on fishing there is to start at the fishing store on 41st avenue. It is manned by some of the most helpful people I've ever encountered. not only will they set you up with gear but will give you excellent advice on when and where to fish the area.

second stop: there's a bait and tackle shop by Johnny's Harborside Cafe at the Santa Cruz marina. the guys there get all the reports from the local area fisherman, including shore people. they will also help you out with lining/cleaning your reels.

third: the pier at Santa Cruz is a great place to catch small live bait (anchovies? shiners?)with a sabiki rig. keep them alive if you can (you'll need a bubbler and a pail) for casting in the deeper water off the end of the piers or elsewhere. (I hook up a giant slip bobber and let them swim freely 20 feet or so below) most people bottom fish 30-40 feet out from pier with two hooks of squid, shrimp, mussel, live bait pieces, ??)

depending on your mobility, if you can make your way to the end of the SCruz marina jetty on the Crow's Nest side, you can catch flounder/halibut off the bottom in the back wash of the waves using 3 inch creme colored plastic grubs with a small jighead hook. that was the first advice I was given by the guy at the 41st avenue shop and it was awesome. I caught several fish with my kids playing in the waves and volleyball at the Crows Nest beach. I even got one of my daughters to work her way out to me and make a few casts of her own. Always nice to fish close to where you can get a little bourbon to help celebrate or bemoan.

as far as I know, the best surf fishing for stripers is a Manresa beach about 20 minutes down route 1 on the way to moss landing (where you catch the boats to go whale watching-highly recommended. also a very good Mexican food place ("the whole enchilada") at the entrance to the Moss Landing marina. As far as Manresa, the only time I was there it was very windy and the surf was helter skelter. the walk to the fishing areas was also a bit of a challenge for my 72 year old knees, so I begged off, but I will return due to the many good reports from there.

There are about 20 fishable beaches north on Route 1 to Pescadero and beyond. It's a beautiful drive along the coast. It's just a matter of picking one and going at it. for an interesting short side trip check out the local store at San Gregorio (off 84-Honda Road)

Excellent trout fishing all along Salt River from dam (that makes Saguaro Lake) to convergence with the Verde. Best spots are just below the bridge. All standard small lures and baits are good, but floating power bait (rainbow glitter my personal favorite) with small split shot 18 inches up the line (adjust weight and location to fit water speed). Less is better. 2lb test recommended.