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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
7,293-acre lake in Williamson County, Illinois. The lake tops out around 25 ft. Contours on this water are modeled from its actual shoreline and max depth. Good for finding likely water, never for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Crab Orchard Lake maps at 7,223 acres behind 92.8 miles of shoreline — 5 islands included. With a shoreline index of 7.8, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Roughly 84% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 9 mi with a 4.1-mi widest point. It sits in Williamson County. Devils Kitchen Lake sits 7 mi south — the closest neighbouring chart.
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 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. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (11 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (21 ft) | Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter an 8 to 25 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 21 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Feeding flat (11 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (21 ft) | |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | dusk | Deep basin (21 ft) | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (21 ft) |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 21 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (11 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (11 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (21 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter an 8 to 25 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (11 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Break off the point (11 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
In spring, white bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for fall white bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Gravel shoal (4 ft) | Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish) |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (21 ft) | Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait |
21 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 21 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Illinois waters are set by the Illinois DNR — and special regulations can apply to Crab Orchard Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Illinois fishing regulations →
Crab Orchard Lake is about 25 ft (8 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target bluegill, channel catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, white bass on Crab Orchard Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For bluegill, 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 Crab Orchard Lake is regulated by the Illinois DNR. Check the official Illinois regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Devils Kitchen Lake 7 mi · Little Grassy Lake 8 mi · Cedar Lake 13 mi · Lake Murphysboro 17 mi · Dutchman Lake 18 mi · Kinkaid Lake 22 mi · Rend Lake 28 mi · Washington County Lake 41 mi · Lake Girardeau 52 mi, MO · General Watkins Conservation Area 54 mi, MO · Baldwin Lake 55 mi · Robert G. Delaney Lake Conservation Area 55 mi, MO
See how Crab Orchard Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Illinois · best white bass lakes in Illinois · best crappie lakes in Illinois · best bluegill lakes in Illinois
Browse all Illinois fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. 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.