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Fishing Arkabutla Lake: what the data says
11,240-acre reservoir near Coldwater. the northernmost of the four hill-country USACE lakes, on the Coldwater River near Memphis. crappie, white bass and a spring sauger run below the dam. The lake tops out around 35 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Crappie fishing at Arkabutla Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 30 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Arkabutla Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| 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 |
White Bass fishing at Arkabutla Lake
In spring, white bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 11 to 35 ft. Hurricane Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring white bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish) |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Blade bait |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait |
Channel Catfish fishing at Arkabutla 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 11 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Hurricane Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | 11 to 35 ft | midday |
Blue Catfish fishing at Arkabutla Lake
In spring, blue catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 9 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 11 to 35 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 30 ft, rated prime for winter blue catfish. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 9 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 11 to 35 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday |
Sauger fishing at Arkabutla Lake
In spring, sauger run shallow here, mostly 4 to 18 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 11 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Hurricane Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A bottom bouncer + crawler or a 3-way rig with stickbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | 3/8 oz jig + ringworm, Hair jig + minnow |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Bottom bouncer + crawler, 3-way rig with stickbait |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Jig + big minnow, Blade bait |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | dusk | Heavy jigging spoon, Jig + minnow (vertical) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 30 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 16 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 9 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 9 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 4.26867330532465 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 4.211140131518391 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Hurricane Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
- Coldwater River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 1.7557434956093827 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 1.5818654995894132 ft
Common questions
How deep is Arkabutla Lake?
Arkabutla Lake is about 35 ft (11 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.
What fish are in Arkabutla Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, sauger, crappie, channel catfish, blue catfish on Arkabutla Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Arkabutla Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Arkabutla Lake?
For crappie, 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
Sardis Lake · Moon Lake · Enid Lake · Mississippi River - Memphis · Chewalla Lake · Walker Lake
See how Arkabutla Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Mississippi · best white bass lakes in Mississippi · best crappie lakes in Mississippi · best channel catfish lakes in Mississippi
Browse all Mississippi fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.