I've made two trips lately and did real good on the Salt end. 3 fish one trip and 6 the next. They were between 18 and 60+ pounds. All caught on carp. There are pictures in the gallery of our last trip titled one nights haul. Good luck if you decide to go. It will be a while before I can get back since I start hunting antelope Friday.
Roosevelt Lake
Has anyone heard how Roosevelt is doing right now with cats. It has been a couple months since I have been down there. I am sure things have changed a lot since mid-June.
Martinman
Martinman
1 - 20 of 44 Posts
Azcatman,
Thanks for the reply. I got a couple questions for you then...how are you catching the carp? I haven't ever tried to catch them before. I have usually used bluegill and caught them with a cast net.
Also, what type of water were you fishing in..depth, lower or upper portions of the Salt. I am sure the upper sections are too shallow by now to use a boat.
I think I may still have to wait to go until it cools down some more also because a Flagstaff fisher is just not used to the weather down south. hehehe!!!
Martinman
Thanks for the reply. I got a couple questions for you then...how are you catching the carp? I haven't ever tried to catch them before. I have usually used bluegill and caught them with a cast net.
Also, what type of water were you fishing in..depth, lower or upper portions of the Salt. I am sure the upper sections are too shallow by now to use a boat.
I think I may still have to wait to go until it cools down some more also because a Flagstaff fisher is just not used to the weather down south. hehehe!!!
Martinman
Martinman, we caught them on worms and corn up in the river. Also threw a cast net but did not catch many. We were in about 10' feet of water on a bend about midway from the mouth to the diversion dam. I don't know why this spot produces but it does. We stumbled across it purely by chance and I don't know if the fishing will hold up at it. We use a pontoon boat but sometimes I use my champion bass boat. Hard to beat a pontoon though. Just so much more room. Hey I know all about the heat. I live just down I-40 from you in Holbrook. This fall should provide some very good fishing opputunities. Good luck and tight lines.
Azcatman
Azcatman
Azcatman and all other catfish lovers,
I noticed that the October major moon cycles will be on the 3rd (new moon) and the 17th (full moon - lunar eclipse). As the temperatures will be getting down into the more comfortable zones, which of these two time periods do you think would be more productive. I have fished both with success as you build up to these two dates, but I was seeking others' opinions as well. I just want to catch some nice flatties.
Martinman
I noticed that the October major moon cycles will be on the 3rd (new moon) and the 17th (full moon - lunar eclipse). As the temperatures will be getting down into the more comfortable zones, which of these two time periods do you think would be more productive. I have fished both with success as you build up to these two dates, but I was seeking others' opinions as well. I just want to catch some nice flatties.
Martinman
I find the best time is when ever you can get away!!!! Really though I have done well on both a full and dark moon and also have been skunked on both, but my personal prefernce is fishing on a dark moon. My suggestion to you is go on both cycles and see what happens. Maybe we'll see each other since I am going to be down that way myself as much as possible for the next couple of months. Nothing better than a weekend of catfishing and quail hunting. Tends to wear you out some. Just not enough hours in a day to do it all!!!!! The crappie fishing can be awesome that time of year also.....azcatman
I am sorry that it took me so long to get back on things, but here is my latest scoop on Roosevelt. I went fishing about a week ago and did better than I have in a while. I ended up breaking my personal best on channel cats with a 15lber. I know that it doesn't sound like much, but it is a whole lot better than a 6lber.
I caught three really good sized channels...a lot better than the 2oz channels that I kept catching earlier this year.
The only negative things about this trip was that I caught two turtles and that I can't find the FLATHEADS!!!! I don't know what I am doing wrong. I thought I had pulled out all the stops, but evidently they didn't want to see me too bad. If anyone has any advice, I would gladly take it. Oh well, maybe next time.
Martinman
I caught three really good sized channels...a lot better than the 2oz channels that I kept catching earlier this year.
The only negative things about this trip was that I caught two turtles and that I can't find the FLATHEADS!!!! I don't know what I am doing wrong. I thought I had pulled out all the stops, but evidently they didn't want to see me too bad. If anyone has any advice, I would gladly take it. Oh well, maybe next time.
Martinman
Martinman, where were you fishing? I have not been there in a while but will be there next weekend for a few days.I will be doing a cast and blast trip since it is the quail opener. Hope to find a few crappie and catch a little bait for the flats. Probably fish the salt end for the flatheads.
Biggest channel we have ever caught was 6 1/2 pounds, but we have never been to the Salt before. i am hopping we can make it this weekend. that 15 pounder must have fought like a monster. i know the ones we catch on our bass rods fight pretty good.
Can you fish the saly end without a boat And will twenty pound test be good enough thinking about going this wed or thursday
Azcatman-I was fishing a ways up the salt. I put in my little boat at Schoolhouse and followed the river channel up. There is a pretty pronounced bend a ways up the river that is away from the "cliffy" area. It almost looks like a road grader took a side blade and pushed a bunch of river rock along the one side of the bank. It is this bend where the "marshy" areas stop. The water depth is about 17 feet deep in the deepest areas. If you continue upstream, it quickly narrows to 3-5 feet of water that was really murky and brown....I hope this helps. Give me a shout through my e-mail if you want. [email protected].
The river has dropped a lot since I was there in the spring.
As far as fishing from the bank, there are a couple places, but I don't know how deep the spots are now. Most of the spots that I know of are near the diversion dam. I fish with higher pound PowerPro test line, but I know a lot of people who have caught large fish with 20lb test line.
Martinman
The river has dropped a lot since I was there in the spring.
As far as fishing from the bank, there are a couple places, but I don't know how deep the spots are now. Most of the spots that I know of are near the diversion dam. I fish with higher pound PowerPro test line, but I know a lot of people who have caught large fish with 20lb test line.
Martinman
Matt-I was going to tell you that it was nice to catch something with a little more size. I got so irritated earlier this year because I had some nice sized live bait that was getting eaten by dumb little 8 inch long channel cats. That seemed to be all that I caught. To catch something a little bigger was great.
I have started using one-piece graphite rods. They are so sensitive when you get a bite and when you have something on the end of the line. Sometimes it can be a little fun trying to guess the size of the fish on the other end because it feels so different.
Guys, Fishing is great. I just wish I had more time and was closer to go out more often. When I go to Roosevelt, I have to make it as worth it as possible because it is a distance to get there.
Good luck to everybody.
Martinman
I have started using one-piece graphite rods. They are so sensitive when you get a bite and when you have something on the end of the line. Sometimes it can be a little fun trying to guess the size of the fish on the other end because it feels so different.
Guys, Fishing is great. I just wish I had more time and was closer to go out more often. When I go to Roosevelt, I have to make it as worth it as possible because it is a distance to get there.
Good luck to everybody.
Martinman
Sounds like you were real close to where we were fishing a couple of months ago. The water was 10' then but it is now about 5'. I know of a few good flat areas off the main lake that I might try. I think the flats like the river with a little more current to it. As long as I get to do a little fishing I'll be happy. Hear tell that the crappie are starting to bite so maybe I can put a few bags of fillets in the freezer. They sure don't seem to last long!!!!!
Keep us up to date on how you do. I am going to try and go fishin next week if I can escape. I think the cooler temps have got my blood going again.
I hear you on feasting on those nice fillets. I just wish that I could convince my wife to like it also. At the same time, that just means more fish for me!!
Good luck guys with the fishing over the weekend!
Martinman
I hear you on feasting on those nice fillets. I just wish that I could convince my wife to like it also. At the same time, that just means more fish for me!!
Good luck guys with the fishing over the weekend!
Martinman
Howdy Fellas,
Anybody fishing Roosevelt next week. I will be taking some vacation time and planning to spend at least two nights on the salt end.. Any recomendations, Is anyone else planning to be there?
* I got a wild hair up my a$$ last week and bought a down rigger for my pontoon boat.. I am going to try drifting it up and down the river draging carp.. Sounds crazy, but I have to try it..
Any thoughts on this?
~~ AZ CAT MAN~
Q~ Do you clip the spines off the carp you use for bait? How do you hook them?
Anybody fishing Roosevelt next week. I will be taking some vacation time and planning to spend at least two nights on the salt end.. Any recomendations, Is anyone else planning to be there?
* I got a wild hair up my a$$ last week and bought a down rigger for my pontoon boat.. I am going to try drifting it up and down the river draging carp.. Sounds crazy, but I have to try it..
Any thoughts on this?
~~ AZ CAT MAN~
Q~ Do you clip the spines off the carp you use for bait? How do you hook them?
CATMAN~
Check out the attached photo of the mess of crappies my buddy and I caught earlier this year @ Roosevelt~
^ We filled up one cooler and then started letting them go.. We think we caugh over one hundred...
Q~ Where do you quail hunt near roosevelt?
Check out the attached photo of the mess of crappies my buddy and I caught earlier this year @ Roosevelt~
^ We filled up one cooler and then started letting them go.. We think we caugh over one hundred...
Q~ Where do you quail hunt near roosevelt?
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Well guys,
Looks like I will be down on Roosevelt Thursday afternoon and evening. I am going to try and show a coworker what catfishing is all about. I figured we would try an all-nighter and see what what he is made of. I am really hoping that I can get into some real nice kitties.
Has anyone had any luck recently?
As well, I noticed on the state Game and Fish website that it says that all carp/goldfish must be caught and used in the same body of water. Can you use goldfish in Roosevelt? I didn't think that it was legal.
Martinman
Looks like I will be down on Roosevelt Thursday afternoon and evening. I am going to try and show a coworker what catfishing is all about. I figured we would try an all-nighter and see what what he is made of. I am really hoping that I can get into some real nice kitties.
Has anyone had any luck recently?
As well, I noticed on the state Game and Fish website that it says that all carp/goldfish must be caught and used in the same body of water. Can you use goldfish in Roosevelt? I didn't think that it was legal.
Martinman
Let us know how you do martinman. I think that if you could catch goldfish from the lake it would be legal. I have never seen any though. I hope to be down there again in a couple of weeks. To Azflats: we hunt quail east of tonto basin. Or if i'm on the lake in the daytime I carry my shotgun and chase them that way. Nice bunch of crappie you got there. Did you catch them at night? We had a real tough spring down there this year for crappie. I did not get to do any cat fishing when I was down that way last weekend. Weather really sucked!!!!!
I will keep you guys posted on how things go. In regard to goldfish, I just thought about it this morning....a carp is related to a goldfish. If you look at them, their mouths are very similar and body scales are also set up much the same. Maybe that is what they are talking about.
Anyway, hope everyone had a good weekend!!
Martinman
Anyway, hope everyone had a good weekend!!
Martinman
finally, after numerous planed trips that failed, we are going to the salt river/ Roosevelt this weekend. we are leaving friday mourning and coming back sunday. we plan to drive out there and set up camp at schoolhouse. is schoolhouse right on the lake, like can you fish at your camp site? i have never been up that way before. i really want to fish buy that dam everyone is talking about. i forgot what it was called but i think it is up river. i just don't know anything about river fishing. if anyone can tell me anything about depth, location, structure... it would really help me out.
thanks guys
thanks guys
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