Bois d'Arc Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Bois d'Arc Lake, TX

Max 70 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

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 Bois d'Arc Lake

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 Bois d'Arc Lake on the board.

Fishing Bois d'Arc Lake: what the data says

16,641-acre reservoir near Bonham. Texas's newest big reservoir (impounded 2021). 16,600 acres near Bonham. The lake tops out around 70 ft. What you see is a modeled chart: the shoreline is real, the max depth is published, and the contours between are estimated. Plan with it; don't navigate by it. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

On the chart, Bois d'Arc Lake draws 15,720 acres inside 87.8 miles of shoreline. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 5) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Roughly 65% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 13.2 mi end to end and 6.1 mi across at its widest. You'll find it in Fannin County. The nearest mapped water is Coffee Mill Lake, 5 mi to the northeast.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Bois d'Arc Lake

Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Sharp break (9 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Shoreline point (4 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (32 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

White Bass fishing at Bois d'Arc Lake

Early season white bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 40 ft. Put Timber Creek inflow first on the milk run — an inflow / creek mouth near 7 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Timber Creek inflow (7 ft)	Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank
Summer	8 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Offshore hump (13 ft)	Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish)
Fall	6 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (18 ft)	Jigging spoon, Blade bait
Winter	15 to 40 ft	midday	Offshore hump (13 ft)	Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait

Crappie fishing at Bois d'Arc Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 25 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Offshore hump (13 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Sharp break (9 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (32 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Bois d'Arc Lake

Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 25 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Timber Creek inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in the 7 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in after dark and the evening and you'll meet the bite.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Timber Creek inflow (7 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Timber Creek inflow (7 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Sharp break (9 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Break off the point (32 ft)

Freshwater Drum fishing at Bois d'Arc Lake

Spring puts freshwater drum in skinny water — 5 to 20 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 30 ft, wintering in 15 to 45 ft. Spring freshwater drum concentrate at Timber Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 7 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening. A jig + crawler combo or a small crankbait (slow) covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	midday & dawn	Timber Creek inflow (7 ft)	Jig + curly tail (bounced), Small blade bait
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dusk	Sharp break (9 ft)	Jig + crawler combo, Small crankbait (slow)
Fall	10 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (32 ft)	Blade bait (vertical), Jigging spoon
Winter	15 to 45 ft	midday	Deep basin (60 ft)	Jigging spoon (slow)

Notable structure

Bois d'Arc Lake carries 14 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 60 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 60 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 32 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 18 ft
Secondary point: point, around 18 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 13 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 13 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 9 ft
Timber Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 7 ft
Cottonwood Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 7 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 4 ft
Rock reef: rock pile, around 3 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 3 ft

Bois d'Arc Lake 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 Bois d'Arc Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Bois d'Arc Lake?

Bois d'Arc Lake is about 70 ft (21 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 Bois d'Arc Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, channel catfish, freshwater drum on Bois d'Arc Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Bois d'Arc Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.

When is the best time to fish Bois d'Arc 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Bois d'Arc Lake?

Fishing on Bois d'Arc Lake 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

Coffee Mill Lake 5 mi · Lake Bonham 7 mi · Davy Crockett Lake 8 mi · Bonham State Park Lake 10 mi · Lake Crook 26 mi · Big Creek Reservoir 26 mi · Pat Mayse Lake 28 mi · Cooper Lake 31 mi · Durant Lake 35 mi, OK · Lake Sulphur Springs 41 mi · Hugo Lake 45 mi, OK · Lavon Lake 46 mi

See how Bois d'Arc 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

More water nearby: Fannin County fishing maps (5 charts). 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.