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Fishing Brownlee Reservoir: what the data says
15,000-acre reservoir near Cambridge. the uppermost Hells Canyon reservoir on the Snake (ID/OR line), a legendary crappie, catfish and smallmouth lake. The lake tops out around 300 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Brownlee Reservoir
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Offshore hump: a offshore hump around 18.450708200266142 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Crappie fishing at Brownlee Reservoir
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 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. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in spring. 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 | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Brownlee Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Dennett Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Brownlee Reservoir
Spring flathead catfish on Brownlee Reservoir hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Dennett Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores good in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Brownlee Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 255 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 150 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 75 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 75 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 45.38608855060031 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 39.83624964014316 ft
- Deep break: drop-off, around 39 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 18.5472514926989 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 18.450708200266142 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 18.273208539733073 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 18.08608710638165 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 18.07424412483762 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 18 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 18 ft
Common questions
How deep is Brownlee Reservoir?
Brownlee Reservoir is about 300 ft (91 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 Brownlee Reservoir?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish on Brownlee Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on Brownlee Reservoir?
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: a offshore hump in about 18.450708200266142 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Brownlee Reservoir?
For smallmouth 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
Mann Creek Reservoir · Hornet Reservoir · Lost Valley Reservoir · Sage Hen Reservoir · Cascade Reservoir · Goose Lake
See how Brownlee Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Idaho · best smallmouth bass lakes in Idaho · best crappie lakes in Idaho · best channel catfish lakes in Idaho
Browse all Idaho fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.