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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
Imperial NWR to Imperial Dam. Largemouth and striped bass, catfish and crappie among big-river backwaters. The river tops out around 25 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
The drawn water covers 764 acres wrapped in 26.1 miles of bank. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 6.7) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. About 56% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. End to end it runs roughly 10.7 mi, about 2 mi across. It sits in Imperial County. Colorado River (Laguna Division) sits 7 mi south — the closest neighbouring chart.
Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3): a creek channel around 19 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.6) (14 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (19 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 35 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (19 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3): a creek channel around 19 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 10.2) (14 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (19 ft) | |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (19 ft) | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 40 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (19 ft) |
When the water first warms, flathead catfish slide up into 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 7 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Tailout eddy (mile 10.2): an eddy pocket around 14 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 10.2) (14 ft) | |
| Summer | 7 to 25 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 10.2) (14 ft) | |
| Fall | 7 to 25 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 10.2) (14 ft) | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 45 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 10.2) (14 ft) |
Spring common carp on Colorado River (Imperial Division) hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. The chart's best answer is Tailout eddy (mile 10.2) — eddy pocket, 14 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | open water | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 10.2) (14 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) (19 ft) | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 30 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 10.2) (14 ft) |
Colorado River (Imperial Division) carries 8 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at North Dike Dam tailrace, about 21 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Arizona waters are set by the Arizona Game & Fish Department — and special regulations can apply to Colorado River (Imperial Division) specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Arizona fishing regulations →
Colorado River (Imperial Division) is about 25 ft (8 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, common carp on Colorado River (Imperial Division).
Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3) is the top-rated area: a creek channel in about 19 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in summer. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Colorado River (Imperial Division) is regulated by the Arizona Game & Fish Department. Check the official Arizona regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Colorado River (Laguna Division) 7 mi · Colorado River (Yuma Division) 15 mi · Redondo Lake 15 mi · Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola) 30 mi · Colorado River (Parker Strip) 90 mi · Alamo Lake 104 mi · Gila River 110 mi · Lake Havasu 124 mi, AZ/CA · Surprise Lake 131 mi · Lake Hemet 136 mi, CA · Pioneer Lake 137 mi · Desert West Lake 138 mi
See how Colorado River (Imperial Division) stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Arizona · best channel catfish lakes in Arizona · best flathead catfish lakes in Arizona · best common carp lakes in Arizona
Browse all Arizona fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.