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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
3,720-acre lake near Marion Township. The lake tops out around 58 ft. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
The drawn outline gives you 58 miles of bank to pick apart, broken up by 59 islands. With a shoreline index of 5.6, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Roughly 54% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 8.8 mi end to end and 3.1 mi across at its widest. Washington County claims this one. Rocky Lake sits 4 mi east — the closest neighbouring chart.
Start shallow in spring: chain pickerel sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 18 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for chain pickerel in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (9 ft) | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (19 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (19 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, smallmouth bass slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rock reef: a rock pile around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (3 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (19 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Secondary point (8 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (19 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Early season white perch use the shallows, holding in 4 to 15 ft. Summer is a 15 to 40 ft game here, winter a 20 to 50 ft one. The chart's best answer is Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 4 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk | Creek inflow (4 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn | Break off the point (19 ft) | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (19 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | dusk | Deep basin (54 ft) | Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes |
Early season brook trout use the shallows, holding in 2 to 15 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 3 to 20 ft one. The chart's best answer is Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 4 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (4 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (19 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Creek inflow (4 ft) | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Creek inflow (4 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Start shallow in spring: pumpkinseed sit in 1 to 8 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 2 to 10 ft; cold water stacks them in 6 to 18 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 3 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in the evening and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (9 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Count 17 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 54 ft.
Access data: Maine GeoLibrary — Boat Launches (Maine IF&W / DACF). Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Maine waters are set by the Maine IFW — and special regulations can apply to Gardner Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Maine fishing regulations →
Gardner Lake is about 58 ft (18 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.
Anglers target chain pickerel, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, white perch, brook trout, pumpkinseed on Gardner Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for chain pickerel in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For chain pickerel, 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 Gardner Lake is regulated by the Maine IFW. Check the official Maine regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Rocky Lake 4 mi · Hadley Lake 5 mi · Rocky Lake 7 mi · Bog Lake 11 mi · Cobscook Bay 15 mi · East Bay 15 mi · Pennamaquan Lake 15 mi · Round Pond 16 mi · Peaked Mountian Pond 17 mi · Boyden Lake 18 mi · Johnson Bay 18 mi · Meddybemps Lake 19 mi
See how Gardner Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Maine · best smallmouth bass lakes in Maine · best brook trout lakes in Maine · best chain pickerel lakes in Maine
More water nearby: Washington County fishing maps (24 charts). Browse all Maine fishing maps or 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.