State wildlife officials are stocking Roosevelt Lake with fish they’re bringing in from Florida.
Arizona Game and Fish says it will get about a half-million largemouth bass hatchlings through a partnership with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The hatchlings are to be shipped by FedEx, in cooler-contained sacks, for stocking in the 13,000-acre lake in the Tonto National Forest.
The Game and Fish Department says 275,000 hatchlings, or fry, have already been dumped into the lake, with one to two more weekly stockings to come.
Officials say the Florida strain of bass can grow to as much as 20 pounds. Game and Fish is stocking the lake to give anglers the future hope of catching monster bass.
They also hope stocking the lake will have a positive economic impact on local communities.