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Rating depth structure for smallmouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
82-acre lake in Windsor County, Vermont. The lake tops out around 90 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
Traced from the shoreline, Amherst Lake runs 80 acres with 1.9 miles of edge. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 1.5) — enough points and pockets to pattern. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 10% of this chart, as modeled. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.8 mi with a 0.3-mi widest point. You'll find it in Windsor County. The nearest mapped water is Echo Lake, 1 mi to the south.
Spring puts bluegill in skinny water — 1 to 6 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 15 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a feeding flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (77 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Spring puts brown bullhead in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 12 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a feeding flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for summer brown bullhead. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (77 ft) |
In spring, lake trout run shallow here, mostly 10 to 40 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 27 to 90 ft before dropping to 20 to 80 ft for winter. Summer lake trout concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 77 ft. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 27 to 90 ft | dawn | Deep basin (77 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Deep basin (77 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: smallmouth bass in 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 20 to 45 ft for winter. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 23 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (41 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
In spring, rainbow trout run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 40 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 41 ft, rated prime for winter rainbow trout. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Break off the point (41 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a feeding flat holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (41 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (77 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
5 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 77 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Vermont waters are set by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Amherst Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Vermont fishing regulations →
Amherst Lake is about 90 ft (27 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target bluegill, brown bullhead, lake trout, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, yellow perch on Amherst Lake.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 77 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in summer. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For bluegill, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Amherst Lake is regulated by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife. Check the official Vermont regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Echo Lake 1 mi · Lake Rescue 2 mi · Lake Ninevah 3 mi · Woodward Reservoir 6 mi · Star Lake 7 mi · Spring Lake 11 mi · Stoughton Pond 13 mi · North Springfield Reservoir 14 mi · Silver Lake 17 mi · Lowell Lake 18 mi · North Hartland Reservoir 18 mi · Chittenden Reservoir 20 mi
See how Amherst Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Vermont · best bluegill lakes in Vermont · best rainbow trout lakes in Vermont · best yellow perch lakes in Vermont
More water nearby: Windsor County fishing maps (8 charts). Browse all Vermont fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.