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87-acre lake near Southesk Parish. Government of New Brunswick lake depth survey. The lake tops out around 10 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 is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Traced from the shoreline, Dark Lake runs 87 acres with 1.7 miles of edge. Its 1.3 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. Nothing on this chart breaks 15 ft, which makes the whole surface littoral: weeds, bait and ambush cover everywhere. Call it 0.6 mi long by 0.3 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Northumberland County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Mitchell Lake, 4 mi northeast of here.
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 10 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 3 to 10 ft covers summer, 3 to 10 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Secondary point, a point in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Secondary point (8 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (3 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Secondary point (8 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Break off the point (3 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
When the water first warms, chain pickerel slide up into 2 to 10 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 10 ft, winter 3 to 10 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Come spring, look for yellow perch tight to the bank in 3 to 10 ft. Through summer count on 3 to 10 ft; the winter hold is 3 to 10 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 9 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
In spring, brook trout run shallow here, mostly 1 to 10 ft. Summer keeps them at 3 to 10 ft, and they winter in 2 to 10 ft. Summer brook trout concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 9 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (2 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (9 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 1 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (2 ft) | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 2 to 10 ft | dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Dark Lake carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 9 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New Brunswick waters are set by the New Brunswick fishing rules — and special regulations can apply to Dark Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New Brunswick fishing regulations →
Dark Lake is about 10 ft (3 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 smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, brook trout on Dark Lake. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
Secondary point is the top-rated area: a point in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For smallmouth 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 Dark Lake is regulated by the New Brunswick fishing rules. Check the official New Brunswick regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Mitchell Lake 4 mi · Jacks Lake 4 mi · Tuadook Lake 5 mi · Logan Lake 5 mi · Sinclair Lake 6 mi · Holmes Lake 6 mi · Island Lake 7 mi · Long Lake 8 mi · North Renous Lake 9 mi · Trousers Lake 11 mi · Serpentine Lake 11 mi · Mains Lake 12 mi
See how Dark Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in New Brunswick · best yellow perch lakes in New Brunswick · best brook trout lakes in New Brunswick · best chain pickerel lakes in New Brunswick
More water nearby: Northumberland County fishing maps (67 charts). Browse all New Brunswick 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.