San Carlos Reservoir Fishing Guides
The Gila River behind Coolidge Dam on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, a desert reservoir that swings between vast and nearly empty, and fishes spectacularly when it fills.
Guides on the San Carlos Reservoir
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About the San Carlos Reservoir
San Carlos Reservoir is the water impounded behind Coolidge Dam on the Gila River in southeastern Arizona, lying entirely within the San Carlos Apache Reservation between Globe and Safford. It is one of the most variable fisheries in the American Southwest, and that variability is the first thing any angler planning a trip needs to understand. In a wet cycle the lake spreads across tens of thousands of acres of flooded mesquite and desert bottom and produces largemouth bass and crappie in extraordinary numbers. In a long drought it can shrink to a fraction of that, and in the worst years it has come close to disappearing entirely.
When the water is there, the fishing is genuinely exceptional. Newly flooded brush and mesquite give young bass enormous cover and food, and the lake has a documented history of producing fast growth and heavy limits within a couple of seasons of refilling. Crappie follow the same curve and can be abundant. Channel and flathead catfish are present at all levels and are the most dependable fish through the low years, and carp and tilapia round out a warm, productive desert system. Because the reservoir sits on tribal land, fishing requires a San Carlos Apache tribal permit rather than a standard Arizona license, and boating and camping are governed by tribal rules. That is the single most important practical fact about a trip here.
The USGS gauge at Coolidge Dam reports reservoir storage and elevation, and on this water those numbers are not background detail but the entire planning document. Storage tells you directly whether there is a lake to fish, which ramps are anywhere near water, and whether the flooded cover that drives the good years is currently underwater. Check it before committing to the long drive, and read it alongside the preceding season’s runoff, because San Carlos responds dramatically to a wet winter on the upper Gila and just as dramatically to the absence of one.
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The photo at the top of this page is not San Carlos Reservoir.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
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Pool right now
- Storage88,680 acre-ft
Reading taken 34 min ago at USGS 09469000, SAN CARLOS RESERVOIR AT COOLIDGE DAM, AZ. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Coolidge Dam - the dam at the west end of the reservoir and the gauge location.
San Carlos - the tribal community north of the lake, where permits are obtained.
Globe - the nearest city west, with lodging, fuel and full services.
Safford - the town east along the Gila valley, with additional lodging.
Soda Canyon - a recreation area and launch on the north shore.
Peridot - a community on the reservation along the highway north of the lake.
Gila River - the inflow at the upper end, and the river that fills the reservoir.
Seasons
Spring: the prime season, with bass spawning in flooded brush and crappie schooling heavily when the pool is up.
Summer: hot and demanding, with catfish the most reliable target and bass fishing pushed to dawn and dusk.
Fall: cooling water brings bass back shallow and makes the desert comfortable again for camping and long days.
Winter: mild by northern standards and lightly fished, with fish holding deep and the pool usually at its annual low.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the San Carlos Reservoir?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Carp, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Tilapia on the San Carlos Reservoir in Arizona.
Where can you access the San Carlos Reservoir?
Coolidge Dam - the dam at the west end of the reservoir and the gauge location. San Carlos - the tribal community north of the lake, where permits are obtained. Globe - the nearest city west, with lodging, fuel and full services. Safford - the town east along the Gila valley, with additional lodging. Soda Canyon - a recreation area and launch on the north shore. Peridot - a community on the reservation along the highway north of the lake. Gila River - the inflow at the upper end, and the river that fills the reservoir.
When is the best time to fish the San Carlos Reservoir?
Spring: the prime season, with bass spawning in flooded brush and crappie schooling heavily when the pool is up. Summer: hot and demanding, with catfish the most reliable target and bass fishing pushed to dawn and dusk. Fall: cooling water brings bass back shallow and makes the desert comfortable again for camping and long days. Winter: mild by northern standards and lightly fished, with fish holding deep and the pool usually at its annual low.
Where are the fishing regulations for the San Carlos Reservoir?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Arizona agency site: https://www.azgfd.com/fishing/regulations/