itppowell,
Roosevelt's maximum depth is 349 feet. It is 25 miles long and has two "arms" formed by the Tonto Creek at one end and the Salt River at the other. The dam is in the middle. They raised the dam 70 ft but only 50 ft is for normal spring runoff. It sure changed the lake with water getting 49 feet higher than it has been since 1911 when the original masonry dam was built. Islands went underwater as did many cactus including the magnificent saguaros. New islands formed that were peninsulas and a ton of trees and bushes are underwater. I have joked for years that once the water comes up there will be skiers injured when they jump in and land on a cholla or other large cactus.
I must admit the brush along the shore is a bit of a pain as long casts parallel to shore are not feasable anymore. Pin point accuracy through the small cuts are the only opportunity to get near shore. I found a few lures that are snagproof and floaters like poppers help too. Braided superlines like fireline are all I use now. Heck I had to add a front depth finder to the boat as I no longer knew the lake.
As for suspended fish..there are plenty along the shorelines so I don't bother. One could throw jigs over underwater humps. I have used my downriggers a few times in the fall. I would use a rattle trap or a J-plug and hammer them. We would troll at 40-60 ft down. It isn't the same as you don't feel the stike but you do catch fish. I get some strange stares as no one uses downriggers around here.
It is a wonderful thing to have this "new" lake. It is supposed to bloom for many years ahead. It coincided with my retirement from teaching. I am still in my 50s and try to get up there for the entire spring season on weekdays.
Thanks for asking about it.
