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Fishing Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola): what the data says
Palo Verde Dam through Cibola NWR. meandering warmwater bass, catfish and crappie with fish-rich backwaters. The river tops out around 22 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola)
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 22 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Channel bar / point (mile 18.0): a point around 9 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| 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 | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Striped Bass fishing at Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola)
Start shallow in spring: striped bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 22 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 22 ft. Perphery Gate tailrace is the standout, a dam tailrace at roughly 19 ft, rated prime for spring striped bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a flutter spoon (deep) or a umbrella rig (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 6 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola)
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 7 to 22 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 22 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-channel hole (mile 2.5): a creek channel around 18 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 7 to 22 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola)
Start shallow in spring: flathead catfish sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 6 to 22 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 22 ft. The spot to know is Tailout eddy (mile 51.9), a eddy pocket in about 12 ft of water that rates prime for flathead catfish in spring. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 6 to 22 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 6 to 22 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday |
Common Carp fishing at Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola)
In spring, common carp run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 22 ft. The spot to know is Tailout eddy (mile 51.9), a eddy pocket in about 12 ft of water that rates prime for common carp in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| 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 | 7 to 22 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Perphery Gate tailrace: dam tailrace, around 19 ft
- Palo Verde Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 19 ft
- Main-channel hole (mile 2.5): creek channel, around 18 ft
- Main-channel hole (mile 19.9): creek channel, around 18 ft
- Main-channel hole (mile 34.8): creek channel, around 18 ft
- Main-channel hole (mile 42.3): creek channel, around 18 ft
- Main-channel hole (mile 49.8): creek channel, around 18 ft
- Main-channel hole (mile 68.4): creek channel, around 18 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 6.8): creek channel, around 17 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 9.6): creek channel, around 17 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 11.5): creek channel, around 17 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 13.7): creek channel, around 17 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 33.0): creek channel, around 17 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 46.0): creek channel, around 17 ft
Common questions
How deep is Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola)?
Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola) is about 22 ft (7 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 (Palo Verde / Cibola)?
Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, striped bass, flathead catfish, common carp on Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola).
Where is the best fishing spot on Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola)?
Channel bar / point (mile 18.0) is the top-rated area: a point in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola)?
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 (Imperial Division) · Colorado River (Laguna Division) · Colorado River (Yuma Division) · Redondo Lake · Colorado River (Parker Strip) · Alamo Lake
See how Colorado River (Palo Verde / Cibola) 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
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