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Fishing Apache Lake: what the data says
2,193-acre lake near Arizona. The lake tops out around 266 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Rainbow Trout fishing at Apache Lake
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Bronco Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Apache Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Apache Lake
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. Rock reef is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 4.614671190618128 ft, rated prime for spring smallmouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Walleye fishing at Apache Lake
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Bronco Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Channel Catfish fishing at Apache Lake
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Bronco Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Apache Lake
Start shallow in spring: flathead catfish sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Sharp break: a drop-off around 11.231209471426716 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday |
Apache Lake also holds crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), tilapia (2 to 10 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 226 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 133 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 120 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 67 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 67 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 15.326988957742522 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 11.231209471426716 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 10 ft
- Bronco Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Burnt Corral Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Shallow flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 4.709237959308253 ft
Common questions
How deep is Apache Lake?
Apache Lake is about 266 ft 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.
What fish are in Apache Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, tilapia, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, rainbow trout, flathead catfish, common carp on Apache Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Apache Lake?
Bronco Creek inflow is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Apache Lake?
For rainbow trout, 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.
Nearby waters
Roosevelt Lake · Saguaro Lake · Bartlett Lake · Red Mountain Lake · Gilbert Regional Park Pond · Horseshoe Reservoir
See how Apache Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Arizona · best tilapia lakes in Arizona · best smallmouth bass lakes in Arizona · best walleye lakes in Arizona
Browse all Arizona fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.