Clinton Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (OK)

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Lake depth chart

Clinton Lake, OK

Max 22 ft

Today's read

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 ~5 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 Clinton 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 Clinton Lake on the board.

Fishing Clinton Lake: what the data says

284-acre reservoir in Washita County, Oklahoma. The lake tops out around 22 ft. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.

Clinton Lake maps at 284 acres behind 6.8 miles of shoreline. An index of 2.9 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. 66% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 1.4 mi, about 0.9 mi across. It sits in Washita County. Lake Vanderwork sits 29 mi southeast — the closest neighbouring chart.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Clinton Lake

Spring largemouth bass on Clinton Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 22 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 2 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.

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 (8 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (7 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	7 to 22 ft	midday	Break off the point (17 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Clinton Lake

Spring channel catfish on Clinton Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 7 to 22 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 22 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 22 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Back-bay flat (8 ft)
Summer	7 to 22 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (22 ft)
Fall	7 to 22 ft	dusk	Deep basin (22 ft)
Winter	7 to 22 ft	midday	Deep basin (22 ft)

Crappie fishing at Clinton Lake

Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 7 to 22 ft game here, winter a 7 to 22 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 22 ft, prime for winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.

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	7 to 22 ft	dawn & dusk	Back-bay flat (8 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Back-bay flat (8 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	7 to 22 ft	midday	Deep basin (22 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at Clinton Lake

Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 7 to 22 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 2 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.

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 (8 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Back-bay flat (8 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	7 to 22 ft	midday	Deep basin (22 ft)	Tiny spoon

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 22 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 22 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 17 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 8 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 7 ft
Secondary point: point, around 4 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

Clinton 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 Clinton Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Oklahoma fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Clinton Lake?

Clinton Lake is about 22 ft (7 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 Clinton Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, bluegill on Clinton 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 Clinton 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. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

When is the best time to fish Clinton 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 Clinton Lake?

Fishing on Clinton 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

Lake Vanderwork 29 mi · Crowder Lake 29 mi · Lugert-Altus Reservoir 35 mi · American Horse Lake 43 mi · Lake Watonga 57 mi · Lake Lloyd Vincent 59 mi · Lake Lawtonka 61 mi · Elmer Thomas Lake 63 mi · Lake Ellsworth 64 mi · Lake Chickasha 65 mi · Lake Frederick 65 mi · Lake Louis Burtschi 73 mi

See how Clinton 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.