Kirby Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Kirby Lake, TX

Max 16 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 on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Kirby 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 Kirby Lake on the board.

Fishing Kirby Lake: what the data says

740-acre reservoir near Abilene. The lake tops out around 16 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. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.

The outline encloses 676 acres, worked by 8.1 miles of shoreline. An index of 2.2 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 93% of the surface on the model — that's where the groceries are. Call it 2 mi long by 1.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. Taylor County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Lake Abilene, is 13 mi to the southwest.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Kirby Lake

Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 5 to 16 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 16 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	5 to 16 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (7 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	5 to 16 ft	midday	Break off the point (7 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Saugeye fishing at Kirby Lake

Start shallow in spring: saugeye sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 5 to 16 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 16 ft. Top water on the chart: Cedar Creek inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in the 4 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in the evening and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk & dawn	Cedar Creek inflow (4 ft)	1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait
Summer	5 to 16 ft	dusk & dawn	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler
Fall	5 to 16 ft	dusk & dawn	Break off the point (7 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging rap
Winter	5 to 16 ft	dusk & dawn	Deep basin (14 ft)	Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait

Crappie fishing at Kirby Lake

When the water first warms, crappie slide up into 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 5 to 16 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 16 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 8 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	5 to 16 ft	dawn & dusk	Old creek channel (8 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	5 to 16 ft	dawn	Old creek channel (8 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	5 to 16 ft	midday	Deep basin (14 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Kirby Lake

Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 5 to 16 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 16 ft. Start at Cedar Creek inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Cedar Creek inflow (4 ft)
Summer	5 to 16 ft	night & dusk	Old creek channel (8 ft)
Fall	5 to 16 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (8 ft)
Winter	5 to 16 ft	midday	Deep basin (14 ft)

Blue Catfish fishing at Kirby Lake

In spring, blue catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 16 ft. Summer keeps them at 4 to 16 ft, and they winter in 5 to 16 ft. Spring blue catfish concentrate at Old creek channel, a prime-rated creek channel around 8 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 16 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (8 ft)
Summer	4 to 16 ft	dawn & dusk	Old creek channel (8 ft)
Fall	5 to 16 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (8 ft)
Winter	5 to 16 ft	midday	Deep basin (14 ft)

Common Carp fishing at Kirby Lake

Spring common carp on Kirby Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 3 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 16 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	2 to 10 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)
Summer	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)
Fall	4 to 16 ft	midday	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)
Winter	5 to 16 ft	midday	Deep basin (14 ft)

Kirby Lake also holds bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 8 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 14 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 14 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 8 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 7 ft
Cedar Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft

Kirby 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 Kirby Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Kirby Lake?

Kirby Lake is about 16 ft (5 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 Kirby Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, saugeye, crappie, channel catfish, blue catfish, common carp, bluegill on Kirby Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Kirby Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

When is the best time to fish Kirby 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 Kirby Lake?

Fishing on Kirby 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 Abilene 13 mi · Lake Fort Phantom Hill 14 mi · Lake Clyde 15 mi · Lake Coleman 26 mi · Lake Winters 30 mi · Lake Sweetwater 34 mi · Hords Creek Lake 38 mi · Oak Creek Reservoir 40 mi · Lake Cisco 43 mi · New Ballinger Lake 47 mi · Lake Stamford 48 mi · Hubbard Creek Reservoir 49 mi

See how Kirby Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas · best bluegill lakes in Texas · best channel catfish lakes in Texas

Browse all Texas 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.