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Fishing Canyon Lake: what the data says
8,230-acre reservoir near Canyon Lake. The lake tops out around 147 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Striped Bass fishing at Canyon Lake
Spring striped bass on Canyon Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 25 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 50 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring striped bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a flutter spoon (deep) or a umbrella rig (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Canyon Lake
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. Rock reef is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 11 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 Canyon 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. Back-bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| 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 |
White Bass fishing at Canyon Lake
Start shallow in spring: white bass sit in 2 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | see map |
Crappie fishing at Canyon Lake
Spring crappie on Canyon 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. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 |
Bluegill fishing at Canyon Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. Back-bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring 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 |
Canyon Lake also holds channel catfish (8 to 25 ft in summer), flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 139 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 55 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 39 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 34 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 27 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 25 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 21 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 17 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 13 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 11 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 7 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 7 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 7 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 6 ft
Common questions
How deep is Canyon Lake?
Canyon Lake is about 147 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 Canyon Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, white bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, striped bass, flathead catfish, common carp, longnose gar on Canyon Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Canyon Lake?
Creek inflow is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for striped bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Canyon Lake?
For striped 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
Guadalupe River (Canyon Tailwater) · San Marcos River · Lake Travis · Lake LBJ · Colorado River (Austin) · Lake Buchanan
See how Canyon Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best smallmouth bass lakes in Texas · best white bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas
Browse all Texas fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.