Inks Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Inks Lake, TX

Max 63 ft

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Where to start

Fall shad migration window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Fall shad migrationActive window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Dec 15 · upper ends and stained creeks turn on first, the main lake follows; Deep-South creeks hold bait into December

adultall day, best mid-afternoon as the sun warms the bait — the rare pattern where you can sleep in — follow the bait, not the structure: gulls, herons and egrets diving or stacked in a creek mean the shad (and the bass) are there — run and gun until you find flickering bait or surface activity

Concentrates hard but unevenly — whole stretches go empty while one creek loads up. The birds are the map.

Creek-arm run-and-gun: lipless crankbait and squarebill through the flats and ditches, walking topwater over surface schools, a 3/8 oz spinnerbait around isolated cover along the creek channel. Downsize to match the young-of-year shad; jerkbaits are the sleeper.

The event happens over backs of creek arms, pockets and ditches, secondary points on the way in, and main-lake flats where the bait balls roam

Willow fly (summer mayfly)Active window

Typical here: Apr 1 – Oct 31 · recurring broods all summer — the heart of it is June–July, famously around July 4th on the Tennessee River lakes; any one hatch lasts days to ~3 weeks

dunhatches at dusk — clouds of bugs just before dark, continuing into the night — after hatching they fly to shoreline foliage — trees near lighted docks get covered; the feeding zone is the water under bug-loaded overhanging bushes and willows
spinnerthe following days: mating, egg drop and spent flies falling from the overhangs — the bream bite under the bushes runs as long as the bugs do

A two-level event: bream stack under the bug trees, and the big bass stack under the bream. Fish the same bushes twice — small for bream, big for the bass just outside them.

Crickets or small poppers under a float tight to the bug-covered bushes for bream; beetle spins and hair jigs just under the surface; for the bass, run a bluegill-pattern topwater or squarebill down the outside edge of the overhangs.

The event happens over under and just outside overhanging willows and bushes on steep banks; trees near lighted docks after dark

Next on this water

Spring crawfish emergence · forageFeb 15 – May 15 · in ~6 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~6 months

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 1 – Jul 31 · in ~8 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Inks Lake

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Inks Lake on the board.

Fishing Inks Lake: what the data says

831-acre reservoir near Burnet. The lake tops out around 63 ft. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.

Inks Lake maps at 790 acres behind 19 miles of shoreline, with a single island in the mix. A development index of 4.8 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. Roughly 43% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 3.4 mi long by 1.9 mi wide at the broadest reach. It sits in Llano County. If the bite dies, Lake Buchanan is 7 mi to the north.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Inks Lake

When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run 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 (2 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (11 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (11 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Old creek channel (23 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

White Bass fishing at Inks Lake

In spring, white bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 40 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring white bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (3 ft)	Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank
Summer	8 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (11 ft)	Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish)
Fall	6 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (11 ft)	Jigging spoon, Blade bait
Winter	15 to 40 ft	midday	Old creek channel (23 ft)	Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait

Crappie fishing at Inks Lake

Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 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 Old creek channel: a creek channel around 23 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.

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	Old creek channel (23 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Old creek channel (23 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Old creek channel (23 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Inks Lake

When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 20 to 40 ft one. Start at Creek inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Creek inflow (3 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Old creek channel (23 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (23 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Old creek channel (23 ft)

Flathead Catfish fishing at Inks Lake

Come spring, look for flathead catfish tight to the bank in 5 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 45 ft. Start at Old creek channel. It's a creek channel holding about 23 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 20 ft	night & dusk	Old creek channel (23 ft)
Summer	8 to 30 ft	night & dusk	Old creek channel (23 ft)
Fall	10 to 35 ft	night & dusk	Old creek channel (23 ft)
Winter	20 to 45 ft	midday	Old creek channel (23 ft)

Bluegill fishing at Inks Lake

When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 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. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 (2 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Back-bay flat (3 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Shallow feeding flat (16 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Shallow feeding flat (16 ft)	Tiny spoon

Notable structure

Inks Lake carries 10 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 59 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 59 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 23 ft
Secondary point: point, around 16 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 16 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 11 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 10 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 3 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Inks Lake State Park Boat Ramp — ramp

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Inks Lake stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
2024*	ShareLunker largemouth Bass (fingerling)	20,606	—

* Approximate date (agency reports month or season only). Source: TPWD stocking history, retrieved 2026-08-18.

Inks Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Texas waters are set by the Texas Parks & Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Inks Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Inks Lake?

Inks Lake is about 63 ft (19 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Inks Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish, bluegill on Inks Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Inks Lake?

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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Inks 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.

Is Inks Lake stocked with fish?

Yes — per TPWD stocking history records, Inks Lake was most recently stocked 2024 with 20,606 sharelunker largemouth bass (fingerling). The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Inks Lake?

Fishing on Inks Lake is regulated by the Texas Parks & Wildlife. Check the official Texas regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Lake Buchanan 7 mi · Lake LBJ 7 mi · Lake Marble Falls 14 mi · Lake Travis 27 mi · Lake Georgetown 38 mi · Lake Austin 42 mi · Llano River 43 mi · Lady Bird Lake 50 mi · Stillhouse Hollow Lake 50 mi · Walter E. Long Lake 56 mi · Canyon Lake 60 mi · Belton Lake 60 mi

See how Inks Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best white bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas · best bluegill lakes in Texas

Browse all Texas 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.