Share your catch

San Carlos Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Arizona’s boom-and-bust lake: San Carlos grows enormous bass when the water comes, and vanishes when it does not.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
17 cfs
Air / High
94 / 97 F
Wind
SW 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 09466500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

San Carlos Lake serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. The river is running 17 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 97. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 98 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Gila River at Calva (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 09466500.

14338161917 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp94 F
High / Low97 / 74 F
WindSW 7-11 mph
Pressure1009.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 17%
Sunrise / Sunset05:58 / 18:43
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Partly cloudy, 97/74 F, wind 14 mph, rain 17%

Fair or better. A 14 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on San Carlos Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the San Carlos Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks San Carlos Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 29 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 92 F, wind to 29 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 98 F, wind to 14 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 96 F, wind to 13 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Arizona requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

San Carlos Apache tribal fishing permit required: an Arizona state license does not cover this water. Check current tribal rules and lake status.

Access

Ramps off Highway 70 depending on water level; permits from the San Carlos Apache recreation department.

About this water

A reservoir on the Gila River within the San Carlos Apache Reservation, Gila and Graham counties, Arizona.

Fishing San Carlos Lake: the full guide

A lake that comes and goes

San Carlos Lake spreads across the Gila River valley on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in eastern Arizona, capable of covering 19,000 acres at full pool and shrinking to a puddle in drought. That cycle defines it: when water returns after dry years, the flooded vegetation produces an explosion of largemouth bass, crappie and catfish that draws anglers from across the Southwest.

Boom years

In good water years the fishing can be extraordinary: bass in flooded mesquite and brush, crappie in numbers, and channel and flathead catfish growing fast on the productivity. Work the flooded cover with spinnerbaits, plastics and topwater. The fishery collapses and rebuilds with the water, so current conditions matter more here than anywhere.

Tribal water

The lake lies entirely within the San Carlos Apache Reservation, and fishing requires a tribal permit rather than an Arizona license: this is important and enforced. Permits are available from the tribe’s recreation department and local vendors. Camping and boating rules are set by the tribe as well.

Gila County logistics

Access is via Highway 70 with ramps at Soda Canyon and other points depending on water level. Services are minimal: bring supplies from Globe or Safford. Always check current lake level and tribal permit requirements before traveling, since both change and a dry year can mean no fishable water at all.

Common questions

Do I need a state license?

No: this is tribal water requiring a San Carlos Apache permit. An Arizona license does not cover it.

Is it always fishable?

No: drought can shrink it drastically. Check the current level before traveling, as some years there is little water.

Why the boom cycles?

Refilling floods years of terrestrial vegetation, creating an explosion of forage and cover that grows fish fast.

Is fishing good at San Carlos Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Roosevelt Lake49 miApache Lake54 miCanyon Lake (AZ)59 miSaguaro Lake65 miSalt River65 miLower Salt River69 mi
Share your catch