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1,940-acre lake near Hot Springs. The deep, narrow Ouachita River lake below Lake Hamilton. Bluffs, docks and stripers. The lake tops out around 90 ft. What you see is a modeled chart: the shoreline is real, the max depth is published, and the contours between are estimated. Plan with it; don't navigate by it. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
On the chart, Lake Catherine draws 1,465 acres inside 45.2 miles of shoreline — 3 islands included. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 8.4) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. 80% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. The basin spans about 5.8 mi end to end and 3.2 mi across at its widest. The water lies in Garland County. The nearest mapped water is Lake Hamilton, 10 mi to the west.
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait most summer days.
| 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 | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | open water | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, spotted bass slide up into 5 to 20 ft. Summer is a 15 to 40 ft game here, winter a 25 to 50 ft one. Start at Main-lake point. It's a point holding about 23 ft of water and rates prime come fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a drop shot over brush or an underspin + fluke (schoolers) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
Spring striped bass on Lake Catherine hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 25 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 50 ft. The chart's best answer is Tigre Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 8 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Tigre Creek inflow (8 ft) | 3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Spring puts crappie in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 25 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Spring crappie concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 6 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| 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 | Shallow bay flat (6 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 | Deep basin (77 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: bluegill in 1 to 6 ft. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 10 to 25 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (77 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Lake Catherine carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 77 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Arkansas waters are set by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission — and special regulations can apply to Lake Catherine specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Arkansas fishing regulations →
Lake Catherine is about 90 ft (27 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.
Anglers target largemouth bass, spotted bass, striped bass, crappie, bluegill on Lake Catherine.
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.
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.
Fishing on Lake Catherine is regulated by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. Check the official Arkansas regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Lake Hamilton 10 mi · DeGray Lake 21 mi · Lake Ouachita 29 mi · Lake Maumelle 36 mi · Nimrod Lake 38 mi · Lake Greeson 49 mi · Lake Conway 50 mi · Blue Mountain Lake 62 mi · Lake Dardanelle 65 mi · Millwood Lake 77 mi · Hannaberry Lake 82 mi · Greers Ferry Lake 87 mi
See how Lake Catherine stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Arkansas · best crappie lakes in Arkansas · best bluegill lakes in Arkansas · best striped bass lakes in Arkansas
Browse all Arkansas 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.