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Fishing Colorado River (Imperial Division): what the data says
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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Colorado River (Imperial Division)
Spring largemouth bass on Colorado River (Imperial Division) hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 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. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Colorado River (Imperial Division)
Spring channel catfish on Colorado River (Imperial Division) hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 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. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Colorado River (Imperial Division)
In spring, flathead catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 7 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Tailout eddy (mile 10.2): a eddy pocket around 14 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 7 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 7 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday |
Common Carp fishing at Colorado River (Imperial Division)
In spring, common carp run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Tailout eddy (mile 10.2), a eddy pocket in about 14 ft of water that rates prime for common carp in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- North Dike Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 21 ft
- Imperial Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 21 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 4.3): creek channel, around 19 ft
- Tailout eddy (mile 10.2): eddy pocket, around 14 ft
- Tailout eddy (mile 13.0): eddy pocket, around 14 ft
- Current seam (mile 0.6): current seam, around 14 ft
- Current seam (mile 6.8): current seam, around 14 ft
- Channel current seam (mile 2.5): current seam, around 13 ft
Common questions
How deep is Colorado River (Imperial Division)?
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.
What fish are in Colorado River (Imperial Division)?
Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, common carp on Colorado River (Imperial Division).
Where is the best fishing spot 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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Colorado River (Imperial Division)?
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.
Nearby waters
Colorado River (Laguna Division) · Redondo Lake · Colorado River (Yuma Division) · Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola) · Colorado River (Parker Strip) · Alamo Lake
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
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