Cross Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (LA)

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Lake depth chart

Cross Lake, LA

Max 30 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 ~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 on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Cross 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 Cross Lake on the board.

Fishing Cross Lake: what the data says

8,575-acre lake near Shreveport. Shreveport's water-supply lake: boat lanes through the cypress, offshore ledges and a dependable bass and white-bass bite. The lake tops out around 30 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

The outline encloses 7,054 acres, worked by 64.6 miles of shoreline, broken up by 14 islands. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 5.5) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. About 80% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. End to end it runs roughly 8.1 mi, about 3.2 mi across. It sits in Caddo Parish. Caddo Lake sits 19 mi northwest — the closest neighbouring chart.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Cross Lake

Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 9 to 30 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 4 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 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	9 to 30 ft	midday	Old creek channel (15 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Cross Lake

Spring crappie on Cross Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 9 to 30 ft. Put Old creek channel first on the milk run — a creek channel near 15 ft that grades prime for fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled).

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Old creek channel (15 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Old creek channel (15 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

White Bass fishing at Cross Lake

Start shallow in spring: white bass sit in 2 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 9 to 30 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for white bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (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	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)	Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait

Channel Catfish fishing at Cross Lake

Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 9 to 30 ft one. The chart's best answer is Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 4 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Creek inflow (4 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Old creek channel (15 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (15 ft)
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)

Bluegill fishing at Cross Lake

Spring bluegill on Cross Lake hold shallow, usually 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. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 4 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Feeding flat (6 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)	Tiny spoon

Notable structure

15 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 26 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 26 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 15 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 7 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 6 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 4 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 4 ft
Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 2 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 2 ft

Cross Lake fishing regulations

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

Check the official Louisiana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Cross Lake?

Cross Lake is about 30 ft (9 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.

What fish are in Cross Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, white bass, channel catfish, bluegill on Cross Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Cross 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.

When is the best time to fish Cross 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 Cross Lake?

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

Nearby waters

Caddo Lake 19 mi, TX/LA · Lake Bistineau 29 mi · Brandy Branch Reservoir 36 mi, TX · Kepler Creek Lake 45 mi · Martin Creek Lake 46 mi, TX · Lake Murvaul 47 mi, TX · Lake O' the Pines 49 mi, TX · Grand Bayou Reservoir 51 mi · Lake Claiborne 55 mi · Ellison Creek Reservoir 58 mi, TX · Wright Patman Lake 60 mi, TX · Pinkston Reservoir 62 mi, TX

See how Cross Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Louisiana · best white bass lakes in Louisiana · best crappie lakes in Louisiana · best bluegill lakes in Louisiana

Browse all Louisiana 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.