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29-acre lake in Hampden County, Massachusetts. The lake tops out around 25 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. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
The outline encloses 29 acres, worked by 0.8 miles of shoreline. At index 1.1 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. Roughly 56% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 0.3 mi long by 0.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. Hampden County claims this one. If the bite dies, Swift River is 3 mi to the northwest.
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Early season common carp use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 3 to 15 ft game here, winter an 8 to 25 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 5 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) |
Spring puts brown trout in skinny water — 3 to 25 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 25 ft. Summer brown trout concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 25 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and early morning. A spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 4 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 25 ft | dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Spring brook trout on Forest Lake (Palmer) hold shallow, usually 2 to 15 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 20 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 25 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (25 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Forest Lake (Palmer) also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
3 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 25 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife — Public Water Access. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Massachusetts waters are set by the MassWildlife — and special regulations can apply to Forest Lake (Palmer) specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Massachusetts fishing regulations →
Forest Lake (Palmer) is about 25 ft (8 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 largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, common carp, brown trout, brook trout, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Forest Lake (Palmer).
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
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.
Fishing on Forest Lake (Palmer) is regulated by the MassWildlife. Check the official Massachusetts regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Swift River 3 mi · Brookhaven Lake 7 mi · Ninemile Pond 8 mi · Quaboag River 8 mi · Hardwick Pond 8 mi · Wickaboag Pond 8 mi · Haviland Pond 9 mi · Metacomet Lake 9 mi · Arcadia Lake 10 mi · Little Alum Pond 10 mi · Big Alum Pond 11 mi · Long Pond (Sturbridge) 11 mi
See how Forest Lake (Palmer) stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Massachusetts · best bluegill lakes in Massachusetts · best yellow perch lakes in Massachusetts · best common carp lakes in Massachusetts
More water nearby: Hampden County fishing maps (18 charts). Browse all Massachusetts 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.