Texas Rig Fishing on Roosevelt Lake
Roosevelt Lake · Arizona · West
Roosevelt Lake is Arizona's third-largest reservoir, spanning over 21,000 acres with deep canyons, rocky points, and extensive submerged timber that create ideal bass habitat. The lake is known for producing quality largemouth and smallmouth bass, with plenty of structure and clear water conditions in spring and fall. Its combination of accessibility from Phoenix and consistent fish populations makes it a top-tier destination for Arizona bass anglers.
A bullet sinker slides freely on the line ahead of a wide-gap hook with a weedless-rigged soft plastic. The rig is completely snag-resistant, making it the go-to choice for grass, timber, and heavy cover. Works with virtually any soft plastic — worms, craws, creatures, lizards.
Texas Rig Setup for Roosevelt Lake
| Rod | 7'–7'3" medium-heavy casting rod, fast action |
| Reel | 7.1:1 or faster baitcaster |
| Line | 15–20 lb fluorocarbon or 30–50 lb braid in heavy cover |
| Weight | 3/16–1/2 oz tungsten bullet weight (peg it in heavy cover) |
| Hook | 3/0–5/0 EWG wide gap hook sized to plastic |
Seasonal Tactics on Roosevelt Lake
Lake: Spring brings excellent topwater action as bass move shallow to spawning areas along the numerous coves and rocky shorelines. Water temperatures in the 60-70°F range trigger aggressive feeding on crankbaits and spinnerbaits around creek channels and points.
Texas Rig: Slow drag through spawning flats and around beds. Lizards and creature baits in crawfish colors.
Lake: Summer heat pushes bass deeper into the canyon structure and main lake basins where they suspend around submerged timber and rocky ledges. Early morning and evening topwater sessions near shaded cliffs can be productive, with deeper jig and Texas rig presentations working well throughout the day.
Texas Rig: Pitch into shade — docks, mats, and laydowns. Pegged weight for matted grass punching.
Lake: Fall is prime time at Roosevelt Lake as cooling water temperatures increase bass activity throughout the water column. Shad-imitating crankbaits, swimbaits, and topwater lures produce excellent results along points, ridges, and creek channels as bass feed aggressively before winter.
Texas Rig: Cover water quickly on points and along weed lines. Faster retrieve with a reaction element.
Lake: Winter bass slow considerably but remain catchable in deeper canyon sections and around the lower elevations of the lake where water temperatures stabilize. Slow-moving presentations like jigging spoons, drop shots, and finesse techniques work best on bass holding near steep drop-offs and submerged structure.
Texas Rig: Slow drag on deep structure, 15–30 feet. Finesse Texas rig with 1/4 oz and 6" worm.
Best Conditions
Heavy cover — grass, timber, laydowns, docks; murky to stained water; any season; pre-spawn and post-spawn periods
Peg the weight with a rubber toothpick when fishing grass. A sliding weight catches weeds; a pegged weight punches through clean.
More Techniques for Roosevelt Lake
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