San Carlos Reservoir is a reservoir in Arizona, near Gila County.
San Carlos Reservoir is a reservoir in Gila County, Arizona and covers about 13,059.3 acres, reaches about 75 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 1,356,337 acre-feet.
San Carlos Reservoir is big water, and a useful pattern in one arm may not carry to the far end of the lake. Deep water at San Carlos Reservoir gives fish room to move away from shore as summer heat and bright light build.
San Carlos Reservoir spreads across the Gila River valley behind Coolidge Dam. It is broad, warm, and strongly affected by drought and irrigation storage, so a full lake and a low lake can have completely different shorelines and cover.
Crappie and largemouth use flooded brush when water reaches it, while channel and flathead catfish follow the old Gila path. Bluegill fit protected cover and carp use warm flats. Points and channel bends become the main repeatable features.
The inventory gives a high-water area of about 13,059 acres and a depth near 75 feet. Those figures can be far from current conditions. A recent water level is essential because entire coves and flats may disappear during dry years.
San Carlos has produced strong crappie fishing and an Arizona catch-and-release white-crappie record. The practical plan is still to find brush or a channel edge, count a small jig down, and stay with the exact depth where several bites occur.
Largemouth bass move into newly covered brush during a rise. As the lake falls, the same fish often slide toward isolated wood, rock, or the old channel. Follow the cover outward rather than staying tied to the visible bank.
Channel catfish can be worked with cut bait along open edges, while flatheads need live bait and heavier cover. Give each catfish its own evening pass instead of treating both as a bonus on the bass rod.
Drought and water deliveries can shrink the lake sharply, uncovering broad flats and moving fish toward the old Gila River channel.
Fish a small jig around flooded brush or the nearest sharp drop, keeping the lure at the school’s depth.
Place live bait beside heavy cover or an old-channel turn after dark with strong line and a simple rig.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.
Source dates describe the evidence, not a live catch forecast. Check the managing authority before planning access or keeping fish.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.