Jordan Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (NC)

Skip to interactive depth chart

Lake depth chart

Jordan Lake, NC

Max 40 ft

Today's read

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 on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Jordan 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 Jordan Lake on the board.

Fishing Jordan Lake: what the data says

13,900-acre lake near Apex. A sprawling Haw River reservoir near Raleigh with timber, points and a heavy largemouth and crappie following. The lake tops out around 40 ft. This chart interpolates between a real shoreline and a known maximum depth. It will point you at likely water, but it is not a navigation product. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

Jordan Lake maps at 13,364 acres behind 157.2 miles of shoreline, with 11 islands in the mix. A development index of 9.7 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. 85% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. Call it 17.1 mi long by 7.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. It sits in Chatham County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Harris Lake, is 11 mi to the southeast.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Jordan 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 5 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 (5 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (18 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 (18 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Jordan 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 20 ft that scores prime in fall. 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 (5 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Old creek channel (20 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Old creek channel (20 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Deep basin (34 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

White Perch fishing at Jordan Lake

Spring white perch on Jordan Lake hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 40 ft, and by winter most fish are in 12 to 40 ft. The chart's best answer is Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 4 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon.

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	Deep basin (34 ft)	Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon
Fall	12 to 40 ft	midday	Deep basin (34 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait
Winter	12 to 40 ft	dusk	Deep basin (34 ft)	Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes

Striped Bass fishing at Jordan Lake

Start shallow in spring: striped bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 12 to 40 ft; cold water stacks them in 12 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 34 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (4 ft)	3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug
Summer	12 to 40 ft	dawn & dusk	Deep basin (34 ft)	Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (10 ft)	Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig
Winter	12 to 40 ft	midday	Old creek channel (20 ft)	Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom

Channel Catfish fishing at Jordan 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 4 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 (4 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Old creek channel (20 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (20 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Deep basin (34 ft)

Bluegill fishing at Jordan 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 5 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 (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	Break off the point (18 ft)	Tiny spoon

Notable structure

Count 20 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 34 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 34 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 20 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 18 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 10 ft
Secondary point: point, around 10 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 9 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 8 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 6 ft
Rock reef: rock pile, around 6 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 5 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft

Jordan Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for North Carolina waters are set by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission — and special regulations can apply to Jordan Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official North Carolina fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Jordan Lake?

Jordan Lake is about 40 ft (12 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 Jordan Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, white perch, striped bass, channel catfish, bluegill on Jordan Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Jordan Lake?

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. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.

When is the best time to fish Jordan 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Jordan Lake?

Fishing on Jordan Lake is regulated by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Check the official North Carolina regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Harris Lake 11 mi · Falls Lake 26 mi · Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) 63 mi, NC/VA · Badin Lake 65 mi · Lake Tillery 67 mi · High Rock Lake 72 mi · Lake Gaston 77 mi, NC/VA · Lake Gordon 79 mi, VA · Leesville Lake 92 mi, VA · Roanoke River 94 mi · Philpott Lake 94 mi, VA · Smith Mountain Lake 101 mi, VA

See how Jordan Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in North Carolina · best crappie lakes in North Carolina · best bluegill lakes in North Carolina · best channel catfish lakes in North Carolina

Browse all North Carolina fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. 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.