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Best channel catfish lakes in New Mexico

45 New Mexico waters hold channel catfish, 2 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. Navajo Reservoir — 333 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
2. Elephant Butte Lake — 174 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
3. Ute Lake — 88 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
4. Abiquiu Lake — 117 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
5. Brantley Lake — 40 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Crappie
6. Conchas Lake — 105 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
7. Santa Rosa Lake — 100 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
8. Bluewater Lake — 90 ft max · Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Cutthroat Trout
9. Caballo Lake — 50 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
10. Sumner Lake — 65 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
11. Cochiti Lake — 90 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
12. Rio Grande (Middle, Albuquerque) — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Channel Catfish, Common Carp
13. Storrie Lake — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
14. Gila River (Cliff-Gila Valley) — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Common Carp
15. Springer Lake — 30 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Channel Catfish, Yellow Perch
16. Ramah Lake — 20 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
17. Maxwell Lake 13 — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
18. Quemado Lake — 55 ft max · Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Brown Trout
19. Clayton Lake — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Channel Catfish
20. McAllister Lake — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
21. Lake Roberts — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
22. Santa Cruz Lake — 55 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish
23. Bill Evans Lake — 40 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
24. Grindstone Reservoir — 45 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
25. Lake Van — 20 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish

…plus 20 more New Mexico waters holding channel catfish.

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When to fish channel catfish in New Mexico

• 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 New Mexico: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes

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