Catfish & Carp in Arizona

Desert state, serious fishing. Arizona's reservoirs and rivers, most of them fed by the Colorado River, hold far more water than the postcard image suggests, and the guided fishing on it is genuinely good. Lake Mead and Lake Powell sprawl across the north; Roosevelt and Pleasant anchor the popular Central Arizona lakes. Guides put anglers on sportfish against red-rock and mountain backdrops, and their read on local patterns is what turns big, intimidating water into a productive day.

The Lower Colorado River draws much of the attention along the state's western border, particularly around Lake Havasu and Lake Mohave, strong largemouth and smallmouth fisheries with trophy stripers in the mix. Inland, the Salt River chain (Roosevelt, Apache, Canyon, and Saguaro), is desert-lake fishing at its purest: bass, crappie, and catfish in canyon-walled impoundments. Guides on these lakes bring the specialized boats and gear, and they know which structure holds fish in which month.

Arizona is landlocked, so there's no saltwater, but the state answers with elevation instead. The White Mountains and the Mogollon Rim country hold high streams and lakes with rainbow, brown, and Apache trout, cold alpine water a world apart from the desert reservoirs a couple hours below. Fly anglers and spin casters both find their fishing here. A guide handles the navigation across all that varied terrain and puts you on the water that's actually producing, whether that's a warmwater desert oasis or a mountain trout stream.