DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (AL)

Skip to interactive depth chart

Lake depth chart

DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake, AL

Max 38 ft

Today's read

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 ~4 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~5 months

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 1 – Jul 31 · in ~7 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Depth · ft

Loading bounded depth chart…

Recent catches at DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake

Recent public catches load as you reach this section.

Fishing DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake: what the data says

120-acre lake near Sylvania. The lake tops out around 38 ft. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.

The outline encloses 120 acres, worked by 3.6 miles of shoreline. The 2.4 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 44% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Figure 1 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.5 mi at the beam. It sits in DeKalb County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Lake Guntersville, is 13 mi to the northwest.

Largemouth Bass fishing at DeKalb County Public Fishing 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 15 to 35 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	Back-bay flat (19 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (13 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (23 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake

Spring bluegill on DeKalb County Public Fishing 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	Back-bay flat (19 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Back-bay flat (19 ft)	Tiny spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake

Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter an 11 to 38 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 36 ft, prime for winter. Best bite is after dark and the evening.

Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Break off the point (23 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Break off the point (23 ft)
Winter	11 to 38 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 40 ft	midday	Deep basin (36 ft)

Crappie fishing at DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake

Spring crappie on DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 36 ft that grades prime for winter. 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	Back-bay flat (19 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Back-bay flat (19 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Deep basin (36 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Redear Sunfish fishing at DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake

When the water first warms, redear sunfish slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 4 to 18 ft game here, winter a 10 to 30 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a micro jig or a small soft-plastic nymph rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Micro jig dragged near bottom, Tiny beetle-spin
Summer	4 to 18 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Micro jig, Small soft-plastic nymph
Fall	7 to 24 ft	midday	Break off the point (23 ft)	Tiny jig tipped with worm, Micro spoon
Winter	10 to 30 ft	midday	Break off the point (23 ft)	Tiny jigging spoon

Notable structure

Count 7 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 36 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 36 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 23 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 19 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 15 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 13 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Secondary point: point, around 3 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Alabama waters are set by the Alabama DCNR — and special regulations can apply to DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Alabama fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake?

DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake is about 38 ft (12 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, crappie, redear sunfish on DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on DeKalb County Public Fishing 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. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

When is the best time to fish DeKalb County Public Fishing 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 DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake?

Fishing on DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake is regulated by the Alabama DCNR. Check the official Alabama regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Lake Guntersville 13 mi, AL/TN · Weiss Lake 28 mi, AL/GA · Nickajack Lake 33 mi, TN · Madison County Public Fishing Lake 37 mi · Tims Ford Lake 51 mi, TN · Neely Henry Lake 53 mi · Woods Reservoir 53 mi, TN · Elk River 54 mi, TN · Normandy Lake 66 mi, TN · Carters Lake 66 mi, GA · Lake Conasauga 68 mi, GA · Chickamauga Lake 69 mi, TN

See how DeKalb County Public Fishing Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Alabama · best crappie lakes in Alabama · best bluegill lakes in Alabama · best channel catfish lakes in Alabama

Browse all Alabama fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. 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.