Lake Bonham Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Lake Bonham, TX

Max 30 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 here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Lake Bonham

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 Lake Bonham on the board.

Fishing Lake Bonham: what the data says

1,020-acre reservoir near Bonham. The lake tops out around 30 ft. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.

Lake Bonham maps at 879 acres behind 19.1 miles of shoreline. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 4.6) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Roughly 59% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 2.4 mi with a 1.9-mi widest point. Fannin County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Bois d'Arc Lake, is 7 mi to the east.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Bonham

Spring largemouth bass on Lake Bonham 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 30 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 2 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 (2 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (9 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (9 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Break off the point (22 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Lake Bonham

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 30 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 29 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 (2 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (22 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Shallow feeding flat (20 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (29 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Bonham

Spring channel catfish on Lake Bonham 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 30 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 29 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 (2 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Shallow feeding flat (20 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Deep basin (29 ft)
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (29 ft)

Blue Catfish fishing at Lake Bonham

Start shallow in spring: blue catfish sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 9 to 30 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 29 ft range, prime in winter. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 25 ft	dusk	Break off the point (22 ft)
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Deep basin (29 ft)
Fall	9 to 30 ft	dusk	Deep basin (29 ft)
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (29 ft)

Notable structure

7 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 29 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 29 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 22 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 9 ft
Secondary point: point, around 6 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Lake Bonham — ramp
Lake Bonham — ramp

Access data: Texas Parks & Wildlife — Public Boat Ramps. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Lake Bonham 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 Lake Bonham specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Bonham?

Lake Bonham is about 30 ft (9 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Lake Bonham?

Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, blue catfish on Lake Bonham.

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Bonham?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 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 Lake Bonham?

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 Lake Bonham?

Fishing on Lake Bonham 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

Bois d'Arc Lake 7 mi · Bonham State Park Lake 8 mi · Coffee Mill Lake 11 mi · Davy Crockett Lake 14 mi · Big Creek Reservoir 31 mi · Durant Lake 32 mi, OK · Lake Crook 33 mi · Pat Mayse Lake 34 mi · Cooper Lake 35 mi · Lake Texoma 41 mi, TX/OK · Lavon Lake 42 mi · Lake Sulphur Springs 45 mi

See how Lake Bonham stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas · best channel catfish lakes in Texas · best blue catfish lakes in Texas

More water nearby: Fannin County fishing maps (5 charts). Browse all Texas fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. 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.