Cleveland City Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (OK)

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Lake depth chart

Cleveland City Lake, OK

Max 25 ft

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Where to start

Fall shad migration window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Fall shad migrationActive window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Dec 15 · upper ends and stained creeks turn on first, the main lake follows; Deep-South creeks hold bait into December

adultall day, best mid-afternoon as the sun warms the bait — the rare pattern where you can sleep in — follow the bait, not the structure: gulls, herons and egrets diving or stacked in a creek mean the shad (and the bass) are there — run and gun until you find flickering bait or surface activity

Concentrates hard but unevenly — whole stretches go empty while one creek loads up. The birds are the map.

Creek-arm run-and-gun: lipless crankbait and squarebill through the flats and ditches, walking topwater over surface schools, a 3/8 oz spinnerbait around isolated cover along the creek channel. Downsize to match the young-of-year shad; jerkbaits are the sleeper.

The event happens over backs of creek arms, pockets and ditches, secondary points on the way in, and main-lake flats where the bait balls roam

Willow fly (summer mayfly)Active window

Typical here: Apr 1 – Oct 31 · recurring broods all summer — the heart of it is June–July, famously around July 4th on the Tennessee River lakes; any one hatch lasts days to ~3 weeks

dunhatches at dusk — clouds of bugs just before dark, continuing into the night — after hatching they fly to shoreline foliage — trees near lighted docks get covered; the feeding zone is the water under bug-loaded overhanging bushes and willows
spinnerthe following days: mating, egg drop and spent flies falling from the overhangs — the bream bite under the bushes runs as long as the bugs do

A two-level event: bream stack under the bug trees, and the big bass stack under the bream. Fish the same bushes twice — small for bream, big for the bass just outside them.

Crickets or small poppers under a float tight to the bug-covered bushes for bream; beetle spins and hair jigs just under the surface; for the bass, run a bluegill-pattern topwater or squarebill down the outside edge of the overhangs.

The event happens over under and just outside overhanging willows and bushes on steep banks; trees near lighted docks after dark

Next on this water

Spring crawfish emergence · forageFeb 15 – May 15 · in ~6 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~6 months

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 1 – Jul 31 · in ~8 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Cleveland City Lake

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 Cleveland City Lake on the board.

Fishing Cleveland City Lake: what the data says

188-acre reservoir in Pawnee County, Oklahoma. The lake tops out around 25 ft. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.

On the chart, Cleveland City Lake draws 188 acres inside 9.7 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 5, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 79% of this chart. Tip to tip the water measures near 1.9 mi with a 0.7-mi widest point. The water lies in Pawnee County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Hominy Municipal Lake, 13 mi northeast of here.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Cleveland City Lake

Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Back-bay flat (6 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (4 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	8 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (25 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Cleveland City Lake

Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 25 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Shallow feeding flat (10 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (25 ft)
Fall	8 to 25 ft	dusk	Deep basin (25 ft)
Winter	8 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (25 ft)

Crappie fishing at Cleveland City Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 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 winter. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (2 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 (10 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

Bluegill fishing at Cleveland City Lake

Spring puts bluegill in skinny water — 1 to 6 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 10 to 25 ft. Spring bluegill concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 2 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Back-bay flat (6 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Back-bay flat (6 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (25 ft)	Tiny spoon

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 7 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 25 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 25 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 10 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 3 ft
Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

Cleveland City Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Oklahoma waters are set by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation — and special regulations can apply to Cleveland City Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Oklahoma fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Cleveland City Lake?

Cleveland City Lake is about 25 ft (8 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Cleveland City Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, bluegill on Cleveland City Lake. This isn't a survey of the lake — none is on record for it — but an informed estimate from the species listed for the nearest surveyed lakes in the region, filtered to this lake's depth and habitat.

Where is the best fishing spot on Cleveland City Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.

When is the best time to fish Cleveland City 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Cleveland City Lake?

Fishing on Cleveland City Lake is regulated by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Check the official Oklahoma regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Hominy Municipal Lake 13 mi · Keystone Lake 13 mi · Pawnee Lake 14 mi · Lone Chimney Lake 14 mi · Shell Lake 23 mi · Fairfax City Lake 25 mi · Heyburn Lake 27 mi · Skiatook Lake 27 mi · Boomer Lake 28 mi · Pawhuska Lake 28 mi · Sahoma Lake 29 mi · Bluestem Lake 31 mi

See how Cleveland City Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Oklahoma · best crappie lakes in Oklahoma · best bluegill lakes in Oklahoma · best channel catfish lakes in Oklahoma

Browse all Oklahoma fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. 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.