Largemouth Bass fishing at Elk City Lake

Spring largemouth bass on Elk City Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 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. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.

Channel Catfish fishing at Elk City Lake

Spring channel catfish on Elk City Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 11 to 36 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Elk River inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.

Crappie fishing at Elk City Lake

In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 34 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.

Bluegill fishing at Elk City Lake

In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 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. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.

Blue Catfish fishing at Elk City Lake

Start shallow in spring: blue catfish sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. They move out to 9 to 36 ft in summer and finish the year down in 11 to 36 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 7 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.

Flathead Catfish fishing at Elk City Lake

In spring, flathead catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 11 to 36 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 34 ft that scores prime in fall. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.

How deep is Elk City Lake?

Elk City Lake is about 36 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 Elk City Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish on Elk City Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Elk City 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 Elk City 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.