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Fishing Lake Fort Phantom Hill: what the data says
4,213-acre reservoir near Abilene. big catfish and hybrid-striper water north of Abilene. The lake tops out around 66 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Fort Phantom Hill
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Fort Phantom Hill hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
White Bass fishing at Lake Fort Phantom Hill
Start shallow in spring: white bass sit in 2 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Elm Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for white bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish) |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Blade bait |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Lake Fort Phantom Hill
In spring, white bass & hybrids run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Elm Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for white bass & hybrids in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Blue Catfish fishing at Lake Fort Phantom Hill
In spring, blue catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 40 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 50 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 33 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Lake Fort Phantom Hill
Start shallow in spring: flathead catfish sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 33 ft of water that rates prime for flathead catfish in fall. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday |
Crappie fishing at Lake Fort Phantom Hill
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 33 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Lake Fort Phantom Hill also holds freshwater drum (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 56 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 33 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 30 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 19.832475922693817 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 17 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 17 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 10.213539505985917 ft
- Elm Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 7 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 4 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 3.0270811219933575 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 1.8181898466663942 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 0 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Fort Phantom Hill?
Lake Fort Phantom Hill is about 66 ft (20 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.
What fish are in Lake Fort Phantom Hill?
Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, white bass & hybrids, flathead catfish, blue catfish, freshwater drum on Lake Fort Phantom Hill.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Fort Phantom Hill?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 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 Lake Fort Phantom Hill?
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.
Nearby waters
Kirby Lake · Lake Clyde · Lake Abilene · Lake Stamford · Lake Coleman · Lake Sweetwater
See how Lake Fort Phantom Hill stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best white bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas · best white bass & hybrids lakes in Texas
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