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Fishing Brookville Lake: what the data says
5,260-acre Whitewater Valley reservoir an hour from Cincinnati. southern Indiana's best walleye water. The lake tops out around 140 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Walleye fishing at Brookville Lake
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 15 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Gravel shoal (walleye): a gravel shoal around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Brookville Lake
Spring smallmouth bass on Brookville Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. Gravel shoal (walleye) is the standout, a gravel shoal at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring smallmouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Brookville Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Standing timber (upper arm) is the standout, a standing timber / brush at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Crappie fishing at Brookville Lake
Spring crappie on Brookville Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. Standing timber (upper arm) is the standout, a standing timber / brush at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring crappie. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 |
Channel Catfish fishing at Brookville 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 20 to 40 ft. Whitewater River inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. Best bite is 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 | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Bluegill fishing at Brookville Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. Deep lower basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for winter bluegill. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Brookville Lake also holds striped bass (25 to 60 ft in summer), muskellunge (8 to 25 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep lower basin: deep basin, around 8 ft
- Deepest basin: deep basin, around 8 ft
- Fairfield causeway: causeway / bottleneck, around 5 ft
- Whitewater channel: creek channel, around 4 ft
- Dam-side steep break: drop-off, around 3 ft
- Roadbed hump (mid-lake): offshore hump, around 3 ft
- Gravel shoal (walleye): gravel shoal, around 3 ft
- Standing timber (upper arm): standing timber / brush, around 3 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
- Gravel point (Quakertown): point, around 2 ft
- Whitewater River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Brookville Lake?
Brookville Lake is about 140 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 Brookville Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, muskellunge, striped bass on Brookville Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Brookville Lake?
Standing timber (upper arm) is the top-rated area: a standing timber / brush in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Brookville Lake?
For walleye, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Whitewater Lake · Whitewater River · Mollenkramer · Martindale · Middle Fork Reservoir · Decature County Park Lake
See how Brookville Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Indiana · best smallmouth bass lakes in Indiana · best walleye lakes in Indiana · best crappie lakes in Indiana
Browse all Indiana fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.