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Fishing Kirk Lake: what the data says
93-acre reservoir near Carmel. The lake tops out around 24 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Kirk Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 24 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. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Kirk Lake
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 24 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 24 ft. Secondary point is the standout, a point at roughly 13 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Yellow Perch fishing at Kirk Lake
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 7 to 24 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 24 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Back-bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Bluegill fishing at Kirk Lake
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 24 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Crappie fishing at Kirk Lake
Spring crappie on Kirk Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 7 to 24 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 24 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 24 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 24 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 13 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 8 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 5 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Kirk Lake?
Kirk Lake is about 24 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Kirk Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch on Kirk Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Kirk 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 Kirk 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.
Nearby waters
Mahopac Lake · Boyd Corners Reservoir · Lake Gleneida · West Branch Reservoir · Lake Gilead · Croton Falls Reservoir
See how Kirk Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in New York · best smallmouth bass lakes in New York · best crappie lakes in New York · best bluegill lakes in New York
Browse all New York fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.