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Fishing Bardwell Lake: what the data says
3,138-acre reservoir near Ennis. The lake tops out around 34 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Bardwell Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 34 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. 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 | 10 to 34 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
White Bass fishing at Bardwell Lake
Start shallow in spring: white bass sit in 2 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 34 ft. The spot to know is Waxahachie Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for white bass in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Winter | 10 to 34 ft | midday | see map |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Bardwell Lake
Spring white bass & hybrids on Bardwell Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 15 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 34 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 33 ft of water that rates prime for white bass & hybrids in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 10 to 34 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Crappie fishing at Bardwell Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 34 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 33 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| 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 | 10 to 34 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Bardwell 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 10 to 34 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 33 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| 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 | 10 to 34 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 33 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 12 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 10 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 8 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 5 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 5 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 4 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 4 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 3 ft
- Waxahachie Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Bardwell Lake?
Bardwell Lake is about 34 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Bardwell Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids on Bardwell Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Bardwell Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Bardwell Lake?
For largemouth bass, 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
Richland-Chambers Reservoir · Cedar Creek Reservoir · Lake Ray Hubbard · Lake Arlington · Lake Whitney · Grapevine Lake
See how Bardwell Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best white bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas · best channel catfish lakes in Texas
Browse all Texas fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.