Big Creek Reservoir Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Big Creek Reservoir, TX

Max 31 ft

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Where to start

Fall shad migration window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Fall shad migrationActive window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Dec 15 · upper ends and stained creeks turn on first, the main lake follows; Deep-South creeks hold bait into December

adultall day, best mid-afternoon as the sun warms the bait — the rare pattern where you can sleep in — follow the bait, not the structure: gulls, herons and egrets diving or stacked in a creek mean the shad (and the bass) are there — run and gun until you find flickering bait or surface activity

Concentrates hard but unevenly — whole stretches go empty while one creek loads up. The birds are the map.

Creek-arm run-and-gun: lipless crankbait and squarebill through the flats and ditches, walking topwater over surface schools, a 3/8 oz spinnerbait around isolated cover along the creek channel. Downsize to match the young-of-year shad; jerkbaits are the sleeper.

The event happens over backs of creek arms, pockets and ditches, secondary points on the way in, and main-lake flats where the bait balls roam

Willow fly (summer mayfly)Active window

Typical here: Apr 1 – Oct 31 · recurring broods all summer — the heart of it is June–July, famously around July 4th on the Tennessee River lakes; any one hatch lasts days to ~3 weeks

dunhatches at dusk — clouds of bugs just before dark, continuing into the night — after hatching they fly to shoreline foliage — trees near lighted docks get covered; the feeding zone is the water under bug-loaded overhanging bushes and willows
spinnerthe following days: mating, egg drop and spent flies falling from the overhangs — the bream bite under the bushes runs as long as the bugs do

A two-level event: bream stack under the bug trees, and the big bass stack under the bream. Fish the same bushes twice — small for bream, big for the bass just outside them.

Crickets or small poppers under a float tight to the bug-covered bushes for bream; beetle spins and hair jigs just under the surface; for the bass, run a bluegill-pattern topwater or squarebill down the outside edge of the overhangs.

The event happens over under and just outside overhanging willows and bushes on steep banks; trees near lighted docks after dark

Next on this water

Spring crawfish emergence · forageFeb 15 – May 15 · in ~6 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~6 months

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 1 – Jul 31 · in ~8 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Big Creek Reservoir

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Big Creek Reservoir on the board.

Fishing Big Creek Reservoir: what the data says

396-acre reservoir near Cooper. City of Cooper water-supply lake in Delta County. The lake tops out around 31 ft. Depth here is modeled from the true shoreline and max depth rather than surveyed; use it to plan, not to navigate. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:

Big Creek Reservoir maps at 396 acres behind 6.7 miles of shoreline, with a single island in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 2.4) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. 76% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 1.7 mi, about 0.9 mi across. Delta County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Cooper Lake, is 6 mi to the south.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Big Creek Reservoir

Spring largemouth bass on Big Creek Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 9 to 31 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 4 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (14 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	9 to 31 ft	midday	Break off the point (14 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Big Creek Reservoir

Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 9 to 31 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 26 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (14 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Break off the point (14 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	9 to 31 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at Big Creek Reservoir

Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 4 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Break off the point (14 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)	Tiny spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Big Creek Reservoir

Spring channel catfish on Big Creek Reservoir hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 9 to 31 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 26 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (26 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Deep basin (26 ft)
Winter	9 to 31 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)

Notable structure

Big Creek Reservoir carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 26 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 26 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 14 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft

Big Creek Reservoir fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Texas waters are set by the Texas Parks & Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Big Creek Reservoir specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Big Creek Reservoir?

Big Creek Reservoir is about 31 ft (9 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 Big Creek Reservoir?

Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish on Big Creek Reservoir.

Where is the best fishing spot on Big Creek Reservoir?

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. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

When is the best time to fish Big Creek Reservoir?

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.

What are the fishing regulations for Big Creek Reservoir?

Fishing on Big Creek Reservoir is regulated by the Texas Parks & Wildlife. Check the official Texas regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Cooper Lake 6 mi · Lake Sulphur Springs 16 mi · Lake Crook 23 mi · Davy Crockett Lake 26 mi · Bois d'Arc Lake 26 mi · Bonham State Park Lake 27 mi · Coffee Mill Lake 28 mi · Pat Mayse Lake 30 mi · Lake Bonham 31 mi · Lake Fork 35 mi · Lake Cypress Springs 37 mi · Lake Tawakoni 38 mi

See how Big Creek Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas · best bluegill lakes in Texas · best channel catfish lakes in Texas

Browse all Texas 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.