← Arizona fishing maps

Best flathead catfish lakes in Arizona

9 Arizona waters hold flathead catfish, 1 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. Solitary giant that lairs in log jams and deep holes by day and prowls at night — live bait only.

1. Roosevelt Lake — 181 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Tilapia, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie
2. Apache Lake — 266 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Tilapia, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye
3. San Carlos Lake — 75 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
4. Lake Pleasant — 293 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Tilapia, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass
5. Bartlett Lake — 174 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
6. Horseshoe Reservoir — 39 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
7. Saguaro Lake — 89 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Tilapia, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye
8. Verde River — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish
9. Tempe Town Lake — 18 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Tilapia, Crappie, Bluegill

When to fish flathead catfish in Arizona

• Spring 5–20 ft — Pre-spawn fish feed hard near wood cover and hole edges.
• Summer 8–30 ft — Day = log-jam lairs and deep holes. Night = shallow flats and bar edges with big live bait.
• Fall 10–35 ft — Fish concentrate near wintering holes — the year's best big-fish window.
• Winter 20–45 ft — Stacked and sluggish in the deepest holes.

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

Flathead Catfish elsewhere: Minnesota · Iowa · Indiana · Nebraska · Ohio · Wisconsin · Kentucky · Mississippi · Texas · Illinois · Kansas · Oklahoma · Tennessee · Missouri · Georgia · West Virginia · South Carolina