North Las Vegas man drowns trying to retrieve fishing lure in Lake Mead

A North Las Vegas man apparently drowned in Lake Mead's Temple Bar area in Arizona early Sunday, National Park Service officials said.

The man, identified by the Mohave County, Ariz., coroner's office as Roderick Rayford, 49, of North Las Vegas, entered the lake about 3 a.m. to try to retrieve a snagged fishing lure, park officials for Lake Mead National Recreation Area said in a news release.

Rayford had been fishing from the shore near Temple Bar Marina when his lure became snagged.

"After several attempts to release it from the shore, he entered the water to free the gear," the news release states, adding, "A short time later, witnesses reported hearing calls for help, splashing, then silence."

National Park Service rangers conducted a search for Rayford shortly after the recreation area's interagency communication center received an emergency call about a missing person at 3:15 a.m.

The initial search effort, which focused on where Rayford entered the water, was postponed until daylight when rangers with help from employees at the Temple Bar concession recovered his body in six feet of water near the shoreline.

Rayford wasn't wearing a personal flotation device and park rangers are continuing to investigate to determine the cause of the presumed drowning.

Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.