Lake Bastrop Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Lake Bastrop, TX

Max 60 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 ~4 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~5 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.

Depth · ft

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Recent catches at Lake Bastrop

Recent public catches load as you reach this section.

Fishing Lake Bastrop: what the data says

906-acre reservoir near Bastrop. LCRA power-plant lake east of Austin. Warm water, year-round bass. The lake tops out around 60 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.

The drawn water covers 822 acres wrapped in 15.3 miles of bank. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 3.8) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 56% of this chart, as modeled. Tip to tip the water measures near 2.6 mi with a 1.5-mi widest point. Bastrop County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Colorado River (Austin), is 14 mi to the west.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Bastrop

When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 (6 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (15 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (15 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (27 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Bastrop

When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Creek inflow (6 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Old creek channel (30 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (30 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Old creek channel (30 ft)

Blue Catfish fishing at Lake Bastrop

Spring puts blue catfish in skinny water — 5 to 25 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 40 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 50 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 30 ft, rated prime for summer blue catfish. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 25 ft	dusk	Creek inflow (6 ft)
Summer	10 to 40 ft	dawn & dusk	Old creek channel (30 ft)
Fall	15 to 45 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (30 ft)
Winter	20 to 50 ft	midday	Deep basin (51 ft)

Flathead Catfish fishing at Lake Bastrop

Come spring, look for flathead catfish tight to the bank in 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 30 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 20 ft	night & dusk	Creek inflow (6 ft)
Summer	8 to 30 ft	night & dusk	Old creek channel (30 ft)
Fall	10 to 35 ft	night & dusk	Old creek channel (30 ft)
Winter	20 to 45 ft	midday	Old creek channel (30 ft)

Crappie fishing at Lake Bastrop

Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Start at Old creek channel. It's a creek channel holding about 30 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in 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 (6 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (27 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Old creek channel (30 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Notable structure

8 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 51 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 51 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 30 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 27 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 15 ft
Secondary point: point, around 15 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 6 ft

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

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Bastrop?

Lake Bastrop is about 60 ft (18 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 Lake Bastrop?

Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, blue catfish, flathead catfish, crappie on Lake Bastrop.

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Bastrop?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 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 Lake Bastrop?

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 Lake Bastrop?

Fishing on Lake Bastrop 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

Colorado River (Austin) 14 mi · Walter E. Long Lake 22 mi · Lady Bird Lake 29 mi · Fayette County Reservoir 36 mi · Lake Austin 37 mi · Granger Lake 37 mi · San Marcos River 41 mi · Somerville Lake 42 mi · Lake Georgetown 46 mi · Lake Travis 52 mi · Lake Dunlap 58 mi · Guadalupe River (Canyon Tailwater) 58 mi

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

Browse all Texas fishing maps. 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.