Bully Creek Reservoir Depth Map & Fishing Spots (OR)

Hatch outlook

Callibaetis (Speckled Dun)Active window

Typical here: Aug 15 – Sep 15 · the smaller fall brood

nymphthe hours before the midday emergence — nymphs rise off the weed tops in a vertical zigzag that can take hours — sources split between slow 2–4 inch strips with long pauses and a quicker steady retrieve; carry both speeds
dunmidday, roughly 11am into early afternoon
spinnermid-to-late-morning falls

Trout browse the weed-bed edges knocking nymphs loose, then cruise the flats sipping duns at midday — the marquee western lake mayfly.

The midday emergence puts cruisers over weed flats in under 20 ft: a casting bubble with a #14 Callibaetis nymph retrieved dead-slow with pauses is the honest match. Between hatch hours, small spoons and #1 inline spinners along the weed edges and drop-offs pick off the same fish.

The event happens over weed flats and weed-bed edges in 20 ft of water or less

Chironomids (stillwater midges)Active window

Typical here: May 1 – Oct 31

nymphearly morning, start of the day — fish the bloodworm ON the bottom — 4–6 inches off the mud before the emergence starts
pupathe cool morning hours are prime — as the emergence builds, slide the pupa up to 12–15 inches off bottom under the indicator; a little wind chop does the jigging

Concentrates by DEPTH BAND and mud type, not a fixed spot: roughly 20–25 ft in spring, deeper midsummer, in against the feeder creeks in summer heat, 5–25 ft in fall. Match the band.

This one translates almost perfectly: a slip float with a 1/64–1/100 oz midge-pattern jig set 4–15 inches off bottom over a mud flat, dead-sticked with the chop doing the work. Depth control is everything — no moving lure imitates a hanging pupa; the float rig IS the technique.

The event happens over open mud flats alongside weedlines, channels and basin edges; feeder-creek mouths in summer heat

Water boatman fall flightsActive window

Typical here: Aug 25 – Oct 10 · peaks on crisp, bright fall days after the first cold snap

adultmiddday-ish on calm, sunny fall days — the fishable moment is the splashdown: boatmen dive in headfirst trailing an air bubble and make repeated trips back to the surface — a fly or lure that dives nose-first on the drop imitates exactly this

Takes are seldom subtle — trout ravage boatmen as they hit the water and during their subsurface runs.

Tailor-made for hardware: a small 1/16 oz silver-bellied spoon or jig cast AT the rings of a splashdown sinks headfirst exactly like the natural — twitch-pause it back through the top few feet. On flight days fan-cast the shallow weed margins.

The event happens over near-shore shallows, weed beds and shoal margins on calm sunny fall afternoons

Grasshoppers (east-side summer)Active window

Typical here: Jun 15 – Sep 30

adultall day in high summer, best when afternoon wind knocks bugs onto the water

Pulls fish to the windward grassy banks and edges for months — fish the bank the wind blows ONTO.

The friendliest crossover of the summer: on lakes, drift the windward bank with a bubble-and-foam-hopper — the bubble's splash doesn't hurt a hopper presentation. On rivers, the same rig dead-drifted along the undercut grass banks, or small gold spinners under the banks between rises.

The event happens over grassy banks, undercut edges and windward shorelines

Next on this water

Damselfly migration · forageMay 15 – Jul 31 · in ~9 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are interpolated from real agency depth surveys (state DNR / USACE). Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Bully 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 Bully Creek Reservoir on the board.

Fishing Bully Creek Reservoir: what the data says

945-acre reservoir near Vale. The lake tops out around 75 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. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.

The drawn outline gives you 8 miles of bank to pick apart. A development index of 2.4 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 13% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Tip to tip the water measures near 2.3 mi with a 0.9-mi widest point. You'll find it in Malheur County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Malheur Reservoir, 27 mi northwest of here.

Smallmouth Bass fishing at Bully Creek Reservoir

Spring puts smallmouth bass in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 45 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 16 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Bully Creek inflow (15 ft)	Ned rig, Tube jig
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (16 ft)	Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig
Fall	8 to 25 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (16 ft)	Jerkbait, Blade bait
Winter	20 to 45 ft	midday	Break off the point (32 ft)	Blade bait, Hair jig

Largemouth Bass fishing at Bully Creek Reservoir

In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 20 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. Winter largemouth bass concentrate at Break off the point, a prime-rated drop-off around 32 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (17 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (16 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (16 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (32 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Rainbow Trout fishing at Bully Creek Reservoir

The spring pattern is a shallow one: rainbow trout in 5 to 20 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 30 ft, wintering in 8 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Bully Creek inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in the 15 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Bully Creek inflow (15 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Bully Creek inflow (15 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (16 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (32 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Yellow Perch fishing at Bully Creek Reservoir

Spring yellow perch on Bully Creek Reservoir hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 32 ft that grades prime for fall. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	Back-bay flat (15 ft)	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Break off the point (32 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	12 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (32 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday & dawn	Break off the point (32 ft)	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Crappie fishing at Bully Creek Reservoir

Spring puts crappie in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 25 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 20 ft, rated prime for fall 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	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	open water	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Old creek channel (20 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Old creek channel (20 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Old creek channel (20 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Notable structure

10 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 75 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 75 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 32 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 21 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 20 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 17 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 16 ft
Secondary point: point, around 16 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 15 ft
Bully Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 15 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Bully Creek Campground — ramp

Access data: Oregon State Marine Board — Boating Access. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Bully Creek Reservoir fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Oregon waters are set by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Bully Creek Reservoir specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Oregon fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Bully Creek Reservoir?

Bully Creek Reservoir is about 75 ft (23 m) deep 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 Bully Creek Reservoir?

Anglers target smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, yellow perch, crappie on Bully Creek Reservoir.

Where is the best fishing spot on Bully Creek Reservoir?

Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

When is the best time to fish Bully Creek 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Bully Creek Reservoir?

Fishing on Bully Creek Reservoir is regulated by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Check the official Oregon regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Malheur Reservoir 27 mi · Mann Creek Reservoir 36 mi, ID · Beulah Reservoir 37 mi · Brownlee Reservoir 42 mi, ID/OR · Lake Lowell 49 mi, ID · Succor Creek Reservoir 62 mi, ID · Hornet Reservoir 63 mi, ID · Sage Hen Reservoir 65 mi, ID · Strawberry Lake 66 mi · Van Patten Lake 75 mi · Anthony Lakes 76 mi · Cascade Reservoir 77 mi, ID

See how Bully Creek Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Oregon · best smallmouth bass lakes in Oregon · best crappie lakes in Oregon · best rainbow trout lakes in Oregon

Browse all Oregon fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. 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.