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Best channel catfish lakes in Arizona

39 Arizona waters hold channel catfish, 4 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Scent-driven bottom feeder. Holes, channels and inflows — best after dark.

1. Lake Powell — 516 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
2. Lake Havasu — 105 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
3. Lake Mead — 526 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
4. Lake Mohave — 147 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
5. Roosevelt Lake — 181 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Tilapia, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie
6. Apache Lake — 266 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Tilapia, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye
7. San Carlos Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
8. Lake Pleasant — 293 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Tilapia, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass
9. Bartlett Lake — 174 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
10. Horseshoe Reservoir — 39 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
11. Upper Lake Mary — 39 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
12. Saguaro Lake — 89 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Tilapia, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye
13. Alamo Lake — 50 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Tilapia, Crappie, Bluegill
14. Verde River — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish
15. Tempe Town Lake — 18 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Tilapia, Crappie, Bluegill
16. Fool Hollow Lake — 32 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
17. Lower Lake Mary — 27 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
18. Show Low Lake — 39 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill
19. Watson Lake — 20 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
20. Parker Canyon Lake — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
21. Kaibab Lake — 14 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
22. Becker Lake — 17 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
23. White Horse Lake — 13 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
24. Peña Blanca Lake — 32 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
25. Kiwanis Park Lake — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout

…plus 14 more Arizona waters holding channel catfish.

When to fish channel catfish in Arizona

• Spring 3–12 ft — Warm inflows and shallow mud flats after rain.
• Summer 8–25 ft — Deep holes by day; cats roam shallow flats to feed at night.
• Fall 10–30 ft — Fish concentrate in river/creek channels and deeper holes.
• Winter 20–40 ft — Stacked in the deepest holes; slow natural baits.

Also in Arizona: best largemouth bass lakes · best tilapia lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best striped bass lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best common carp lakes · best brown trout lakes

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