Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
287-acre lake in Essex County, Massachusetts. The lake tops out around 25 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.
Drawn out, this is 287 acres of water rimmed by 2.7 miles of bank. Nearly circular (index 1.1), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. About 86% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. The basin spans about 1 mi end to end and 0.6 mi across at its widest. You'll find it in Essex County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Manchester Harbor, 3 mi southeast of here.
Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 8 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 1 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (20 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 25 ft before dropping to 8 to 25 ft for winter. Winter crappie concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 25 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (20 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Early season yellow perch use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter an 8 to 25 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 25 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring chain pickerel on Chebacco Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 3 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 18 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 1 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (20 ft) | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: white perch in 4 to 15 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 25 ft, wintering in 8 to 25 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 25 ft range, prime in summer. Time it for early morning. Summer baits: a small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | dusk | Deep basin (25 ft) | Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes |
Come spring, look for pumpkinseed tight to the bank in 1 to 8 ft. They move out to 2 to 10 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 18 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 1 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is the evening and early morning. A micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (20 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Chebacco Lake also holds brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Chebacco Lake carries 4 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 25 ft down.
Access data: Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife — Public Water Access. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Massachusetts waters are set by the MassWildlife — and special regulations can apply to Chebacco Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Massachusetts fishing regulations →
Chebacco Lake is about 25 ft (8 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, yellow perch, chain pickerel, white perch, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Chebacco Lake.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 25 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
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.
Fishing on Chebacco Lake is regulated by the MassWildlife. Check the official Massachusetts regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Manchester Harbor 3 mi · Manchester Bay 4 mi · Pleasant Pond 4 mi · Salem Sound 5 mi · Beverly Harbor 5 mi · Eagle Island Channel 6 mi · Beverly Channel 6 mi · Childrens Island Channel 7 mi · Gloucester Harbor 7 mi · Marblehead Channel 7 mi · Salem Harbor 7 mi · Marblehead Harbor 8 mi
See how Chebacco Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Massachusetts · best crappie lakes in Massachusetts · best yellow perch lakes in Massachusetts · best chain pickerel lakes in Massachusetts
More water nearby: Essex County fishing maps (14 charts). Browse all Massachusetts 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.