Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeLake depth chart
Today's read
Rating depth structure for walleye.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
49,976-acre lake near Elbow. The lake tops out around 194 ft. The contours come from a model of the real basin shape and its known max depth. Read them as probabilities, not soundings, and keep them out of navigation decisions. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Traced from the shoreline, Diefenbaker Lake runs 49,869 acres with 205.9 miles of edge, broken up by 17 islands. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 6.6) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Roughly 30% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. End to end it runs roughly 29 mi, about 26.1 mi across. The water lies in Division No. 7. For a second option, Broderick Reservoir lies 28 mi north.
Start shallow in spring: burbot sit in 25 to 70 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 50 to 120 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 60 ft. The spot to know is Offshore hump, an offshore hump in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and midday. Throw a heavy jig + cut bait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 70 ft | night & dusk | Offshore hump (22 ft) | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | night & midday | Deep break (44 ft) | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 30 to 80 ft | night & dusk | Deep break (41 ft) | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Offshore hump (20 ft) | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
When the water first warms, cisco (lake herring) slide up into 10 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 40 to 80 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 60 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Offshore hump: an offshore hump around 20 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (20 ft) | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 40 to 80 ft | dawn | Deep break (41 ft) | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (9 ft) | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (20 ft) | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
When the water first warms, goldeye slide up into 3 to 10 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 10 ft, winter 10 to 25 ft. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Keep a small spinner or a dry flies / foam hoppers at dusk rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | Small jig (white/pink) under a float, Inline spinner |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | Small spinner, Dry flies / foam hoppers at dusk |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | open water | Small jig + twister tail, Inline spinner (deeper) |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | open water | Small jig tipped with minnow piece |
Spring lake sturgeon on Diefenbaker Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 15 ft. They move out to 15 to 40 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 60 ft. Put Rock reef first on the milk run — a rock pile near 9 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dusk & night | Rock reef (9 ft) | |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | night & dusk | Deep break (41 ft) | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Deep break (41 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Deep basin (165 ft) |
Start shallow in spring: lake trout sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 50 to 120 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 80 ft. The spot to know is Rock reef, a rock pile in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (21 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Deep break (44 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (9 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (20 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
When the water first warms, lake whitefish slide up into 15 to 45 ft. By summer they slide out to 40 to 90 ft, and by winter most fish are in 25 to 70 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rock reef: a rock pile around 9 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (20 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Deep break (41 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Rock reef (9 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (22 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Diefenbaker Lake also holds northern pike (8 to 20 ft in summer), rainbow trout (8 to 30 ft in summer), sauger (10 to 30 ft in summer), walleye (15 to 35 ft in summer), yellow perch (10 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
25 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 165 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Saskatchewan waters are set by the Saskatchewan anglers' guide — and special regulations can apply to Diefenbaker Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Saskatchewan fishing regulations →
Diefenbaker Lake is about 194 ft (59 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.
Anglers target burbot, cisco (lake herring), goldeye, lake sturgeon, lake trout, lake whitefish, northern pike, rainbow trout, sauger, walleye, yellow perch on Diefenbaker Lake.
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: an offshore hump in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in winter. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For burbot, the summer bite is best in after dark and midday. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Diefenbaker Lake is regulated by the Saskatchewan anglers' guide. Check the official Saskatchewan regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Broderick Reservoir 28 mi · Brightwater Creek Reservoir 37 mi · Blackstrap Reservoir 51 mi · Buffalo Pound Lake 56 mi · Pike Lake 57 mi · Bradwell Reservoir 63 mi · Last Mountain Lake 71 mi · Braddock Reservoir 74 mi · Dellwood Brook Reservoir 78 mi · Cabri Reservoir 81 mi · Antelope Lake 92 mi · Thomson Lake 92 mi
See how Diefenbaker Lake stacks up: best walleye lakes in Saskatchewan · best northern pike lakes in Saskatchewan · best rainbow trout lakes in Saskatchewan · best yellow perch lakes in Saskatchewan
Browse all Saskatchewan 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.