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179-acre lake near Byram Township. The lake tops out around 16 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's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
On the chart, Cranberry Lake draws 218 acres inside 4.8 miles of shoreline. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 2.3) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. The basin spans about 1.3 mi end to end and 0.6 mi across at its widest. The water lies in Sussex County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Lake Musconetcong, 4 mi southeast of here.
Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 5 to 16 ft, wintering in 5 to 16 ft. Spring largemouth bass concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 4 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. 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 (4 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 16 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 (5 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Break off the point (11 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 16 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 16 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (11 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Break off the point (11 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Start shallow in spring: muskellunge sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 16 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for muskellunge in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. Throw a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 4 to 16 ft | midday & dusk | Break off the point (11 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Deep basin (16 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
In spring, northern pike run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 16 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (11 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Early season yellow perch use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 5 to 16 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 16 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 4 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 (4 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn | Deep basin (16 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Deep basin (16 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (16 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 4 to 16 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 4 to 16 ft covers summer, 3 to 16 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 11 ft range, prime in winter. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 4 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (11 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 3 to 16 ft | dawn | Break off the point (11 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Cranberry Lake also holds common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Cranberry Lake carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 16 ft down.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New Jersey waters are set by the New Jersey Fish & Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Cranberry Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New Jersey fishing regulations →
Cranberry Lake is about 16 ft (5 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, smallmouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, yellow perch, rainbow trout, common carp on Cranberry Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 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.
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 Cranberry Lake is regulated by the New Jersey Fish & Wildlife. Check the official New Jersey regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Lake Musconetcong 4 mi · Deer Park Pond 4 mi · Budd Lake 5 mi · Lake Hopatcong 6 mi · Duck Pond 7 mi · Ghost Lake 8 mi · White Lake 10 mi · Swartswood Lake 10 mi · Cedar Lake 12 mi · Cozy Lake 14 mi · Silver Lake 16 mi · Delaware Lake 17 mi
See how Cranberry Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in New Jersey · best smallmouth bass lakes in New Jersey · best northern pike lakes in New Jersey · best rainbow trout lakes in New Jersey
More water nearby: Sussex County fishing maps (5 charts). Browse all New Jersey 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.