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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
The short Imperial Dam-Laguna Dam settling reach. Diversion-starved channel bass and catfish. The river tops out around 12 ft. What you see is a modeled chart: the shoreline is real, the max depth is published, and the contours between are estimated. Plan with it; don't navigate by it. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Drawn out, this is 171 acres of water rimmed by 8.8 miles of bank. With a shoreline index of 4.8, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. Call it 4.3 mi long by 0.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Imperial County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Colorado River (Imperial Division), 7 mi north of here.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 12 ft, wintering in 4 to 12 ft. Top water on the chart: Tailout eddy (mile 0.4), an eddy pocket in the 7 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
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 | Imperial Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Imperial Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 0.4) (7 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for striped bass tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. Through summer count on 4 to 12 ft; the winter hold is 4 to 12 ft. Start at Imperial Dam tailrace. It's a dam tailrace holding about 10 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig 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 | 3 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Imperial Dam tailrace (10 ft) | 3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Imperial Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Imperial Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 50 ft | midday | Imperial Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: channel catfish in 3 to 12 ft. The depth story barely changes: 4 to 12 ft through summer, 4 to 12 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Tailout eddy (mile 0.4), an eddy pocket in the 7 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for 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 0.4) (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 0.4) (7 ft) | |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 0.4) (7 ft) | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 40 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 0.4) (7 ft) |
Spring puts flathead catfish in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 3 to 12 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 12 ft. Spring flathead catfish concentrate at Tailout eddy (mile 0.4), a prime-rated eddy pocket around 7 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around 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 chart-limited; documented 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 0.4) (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 0.4) (7 ft) | |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 0.4) (7 ft) | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 45 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 0.4) (7 ft) |
Spring puts common carp in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 2 to 12 ft; cold water stacks them in 4 to 12 ft. Tailout eddy (mile 0.4) is the standout, an eddy pocket at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for winter common carp. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.
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 | Imperial Dam tailrace (10 ft) | |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Imperial Dam tailrace (10 ft) | |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 18 ft | midday | Imperial Dam tailrace (10 ft) | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 30 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 0.4) (7 ft) |
Colorado River (Laguna Division) carries 8 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Imperial Dam tailrace, about 10 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 (Laguna Division) specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Arizona fishing regulations →
Colorado River (Laguna Division) is about 12 ft (4 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, striped bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, common carp on Colorado River (Laguna Division).
Imperial Dam tailrace is the top-rated area: a dam tailrace in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for striped bass in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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 (Laguna 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 (Imperial Division) 7 mi · Redondo Lake 8 mi · Colorado River (Yuma Division) 10 mi · Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola) 37 mi · Colorado River (Parker Strip) 97 mi · Alamo Lake 110 mi · Gila River 111 mi · Lake Havasu 131 mi, AZ/CA · Surprise Lake 133 mi · Pioneer Lake 139 mi · Desert West Lake 139 mi · Lake Hemet 140 mi, CA
See how Colorado River (Laguna Division) stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Arizona · best channel catfish lakes in Arizona · best striped bass lakes in Arizona · best flathead catfish 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.