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Fishing Cranberry Lake: what the data says
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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Cranberry Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 16 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 16 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Cranberry Lake
Spring smallmouth bass on Cranberry Lake hold shallow, usually 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. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Muskellunge fishing at Cranberry Lake
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. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Tie on a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dusk & dawn | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 4 to 16 ft | midday & dusk | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Northern Pike fishing at Cranberry Lake
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 5 to 16 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Cranberry Lake
In spring, yellow perch 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. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Cranberry Lake
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 4 to 16 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 4 to 16 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 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 rainbow trout in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 4 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 3 to 16 ft | dawn | 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.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 16 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 11 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 5 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Cranberry Lake?
Cranberry Lake is about 16 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Cranberry Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, rainbow trout, muskellunge, yellow perch, common carp on Cranberry Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot 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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Cranberry 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.
Nearby waters
White Lake · Cozy Lake · Furnace Lake · Mashipacong Pond · Clinton Reservoir · Spruce Run Reservoir
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
Browse all New Jersey fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.