Lake Bill Waller Depth Map & Fishing Spots (MS)

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Lake depth chart

Lake Bill Waller, MS

Max 27 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 ~5 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 Lake Bill Waller

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

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Fishing Lake Bill Waller: what the data says

168-acre lake near Marion County. The lake tops out around 27 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. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.

Lake Bill Waller maps at 200 acres behind 5.2 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 2.6, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 80% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.9 mi with a 0.8-mi widest point. Marion County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Lake Columbia, is 1 mi to the southwest.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Bill Waller

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 8 to 27 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 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 (3 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (12 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	8 to 27 ft	midday	Break off the point (12 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at Lake Bill Waller

When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run 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 (3 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Break off the point (12 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (23 ft)	Tiny spoon

Crappie fishing at Lake Bill Waller

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 8 to 27 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 23 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 (3 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (12 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Break off the point (12 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	8 to 27 ft	midday	Deep basin (23 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Bill Waller

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 8 to 27 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 23 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (23 ft)
Fall	8 to 27 ft	dusk	Deep basin (23 ft)
Winter	8 to 27 ft	midday	Deep basin (23 ft)

Flathead Catfish fishing at Lake Bill Waller

Come spring, look for flathead catfish tight to the bank in 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 7 to 27 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 27 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 23 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 20 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (23 ft)
Summer	7 to 27 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (23 ft)
Fall	8 to 27 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (23 ft)
Winter	8 to 27 ft	midday	Deep basin (23 ft)

Notable structure

Count 6 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 23 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 23 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 12 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft

Lake Bill Waller fishing regulations

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

Check the official Mississippi fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Bill Waller?

Lake Bill Waller is about 27 ft (8 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 Bill Waller?

Anglers target largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish on Lake Bill Waller. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Bill Waller?

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 Lake Bill Waller?

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 Bill Waller?

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

Nearby waters

Lake Columbia 1 mi · Geiger Lake 29 mi · Lake Mary Crawford 37 mi · Lake Perry 48 mi · Simpson County Lake 50 mi · Lake Bogue Homa 55 mi · Turkey Fork Lake 61 mi · Tangipahoa River 67 mi, LA/MS · Lake Okhissa 67 mi · Lake Pontchartrain 72 mi, LA · Marathon Lake 73 mi · Lake Claude Bennett 74 mi

See how Lake Bill Waller stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Mississippi · best crappie lakes in Mississippi · best bluegill lakes in Mississippi · best channel catfish lakes in Mississippi

Browse all Mississippi 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.