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41,779-acre reservoir near Grove. The lake tops out around 130 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. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
On the chart, Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees draws 38,093 acres inside 362.2 miles of shoreline — 13 islands included. With a shoreline index of 13.2, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 31% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. The basin spans about 27.4 mi end to end and 11.8 mi across at its widest. The water lies in Delaware County. For a second option, Spavinaw Lake lies 17 mi southwest.
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (14 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (14 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring puts crappie in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 25 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Spring crappie concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 2 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Weed flat (11 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Old creek channel (5 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (14 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, white bass slide up into 2 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 15 to 40 ft one. Start at Elk River inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 7 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Elk River inflow (7 ft) | Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish) |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Old creek channel (5 ft) | Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait |
Spring puts white bass & hybrids in skinny water — 3 to 15 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 30 ft, wintering in 20 to 40 ft. Spring white bass & hybrids concentrate at Elk River inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 7 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Elk River inflow (7 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Sharp break (36 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Elk River inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. Time it for after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Elk River inflow (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (5 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Feeding flat (16 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Sharp break (36 ft) |
Come spring, look for blue catfish tight to the bank in 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 10 to 40 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 50 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (5 ft) | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Feeding flat (16 ft) | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Sharp break (36 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Sharp break (36 ft) |
Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees also holds flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees carries 42 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 113 ft down.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Oklahoma waters are set by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation — and special regulations can apply to Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Oklahoma fishing regulations →
Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees is about 130 ft (40 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, crappie, white bass, white bass & hybrids, channel catfish, blue catfish, flathead catfish on Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by 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 Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees is regulated by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Check the official Oklahoma regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Spavinaw Lake 17 mi · Lake Eucha 18 mi · Lake Hudson (Markham Ferry) 28 mi · W.R. Holway Reservoir 28 mi · Illinois River (Oklahoma) 40 mi · Oologah Lake 41 mi · Claremore Lake 44 mi · Fort Gibson Lake 45 mi · Beaver Lake 56 mi, AR · Big Hill Lake 58 mi, KS · Stilwell City Lake 59 mi · Shawnee Trail Conservation Area 59 mi, MO
See how Grand Lake 'O' the Cherokees stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Oklahoma · best white bass lakes in Oklahoma · best crappie lakes in Oklahoma · best channel catfish lakes in Oklahoma
Browse all Oklahoma 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.