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Fishing Centralia Lake: what the data says
374-acre lake near Centralia. northeast Kansas county lake stocked with saugeye and wiper. The lake tops out around 26 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.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Centralia Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 26 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. 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 | 8 to 26 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Centralia Lake
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 26 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 26 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. 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 | 8 to 26 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 8 to 26 ft | midday |
Crappie fishing at Centralia Lake
Spring crappie on Centralia 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 8 to 26 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 26 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. 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 | 8 to 26 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Centralia Lake
Spring bluegill on Centralia Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. 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 2 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 |
Saugeye fishing at Centralia Lake
Spring saugeye on Centralia Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 22 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 26 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 26 ft of water that rates prime for saugeye in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 7 to 26 ft | dusk & dawn | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 8 to 26 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Centralia Lake
In spring, white bass & hybrids run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. They move out to 8 to 26 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 26 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 26 ft, rated prime for winter white bass & hybrids. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 8 to 26 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 8 to 26 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 26 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 10 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 5 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 5 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 4 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Centralia Lake?
Centralia Lake is about 26 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 Centralia Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, saugeye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids on Centralia Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Centralia Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Centralia Lake?
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.
Nearby waters
Banner Creek Lake · Tuttle Creek Lake · Perry Lake · Lake Shawnee · Milford Lake · Council Grove Lake
See how Centralia Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Kansas · best saugeye lakes in Kansas · best crappie lakes in Kansas · best bluegill lakes in Kansas
Browse all Kansas fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.