San Carlos Lake is a bit of a wild card. When it’s full, it encompasses over 19,000 acres, making it one of the biggest lakes in Arizona.
It’s also an amazing catfish lake… when it’s full. The problem is, this lake has proven notoriously fickle and prone to wild fluctuations.
When the water is drawn down below a certain level, the lake becomes a muddy pit and there just isn’t enough oxygen to go around. Drastically low water levels have resulted in fish kills numerous times over the years, including some particularly bad ones in 2012 and 2021.
Even so, catfish are more resilient than most fish, and populations will rebound as they always do. San Carlos Lake has produced state record flathead catfish in the past, and in all likelihood, it will be a trophy fishery again.
One benefit of the lake’s frequent drawdowns is that, when water is low, brush and small trees have a chance to grow on the lakebed. When the water rises again, they are flooded and become excellent fish habitat.
When the water is up, there’s excellent catfish action in the San Carlos and Gila River inlets, as well as Willow Creek, Blue Cove and the aptly-named Catfish Bay.
Don’t write off San Carlos Lake; it always has a chance to bounce back.
