Lake Chicot Depth Map & Fishing Spots (AR)

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Lake depth chart

Lake Chicot, AR

Max 20 ft

Today's read

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 Chicot

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 Lake Chicot on the board.

Fishing Lake Chicot: what the data says

5,300-acre lake near Lake Village. Arkansas's largest natural lake. A long Mississippi oxbow in the delta known for bream, crappie and bass. The lake tops out around 20 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.

Lake Chicot maps at 5,121 acres behind 37.7 miles of shoreline. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 3.8) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Roughly 94% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 7.5 mi with a 6.1-mi widest point. Chicot County claims this one. Lake Ferguson sits 10 mi northeast — the closest neighbouring chart.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Chicot

Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 6 to 20 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for 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	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	Main-lake point (8 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	6 to 20 ft	midday	Deep basin (17 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Lake Chicot

Spring crappie on Lake Chicot hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 6 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 20 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 17 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled).

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	6 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Deep basin (17 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Deep basin (17 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	6 to 20 ft	midday	Deep basin (17 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at Lake Chicot

Spring bluegill on Lake Chicot hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 20 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. The summer box starts with a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.

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	Feeding flat (8 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	6 to 20 ft	midday	Deep basin (17 ft)	Tiny spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Chicot

Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 6 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 6 to 20 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 17 ft that grades prime for 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	Feeding flat (8 ft)
Summer	6 to 20 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (17 ft)
Fall	6 to 20 ft	dusk	Deep basin (17 ft)
Winter	6 to 20 ft	midday	Deep basin (17 ft)

White Bass fishing at Lake Chicot

Start shallow in spring: white bass sit in 2 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 6 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 6 to 20 ft. Top water on the chart: Main-lake point, a point in the 8 ft range, prime in fall. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Gravel shoal (3 ft)	Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank
Summer	6 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish)
Fall	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Jigging spoon, Blade bait
Winter	6 to 20 ft	midday	Deep basin (17 ft)	Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait

Notable structure

15 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 17 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 17 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 8 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 7 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 7 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 5 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
Weed flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 2 ft
Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft

Lake Chicot fishing regulations

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 Chicot specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Arkansas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Chicot?

Lake Chicot is about 20 ft (6 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 Chicot?

Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, white bass on Lake Chicot.

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Chicot?

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 Chicot?

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 Chicot?

Fishing on Lake Chicot 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.

Nearby waters

Lake Ferguson 10 mi, MS/AR · Lake Washington 21 mi, MS · Lake Beulah 34 mi, MS/AR · Eagle Lake 58 mi, MS/LA · Hannaberry Lake 58 mi · Poverty Point Reservoir 58 mi, LA · Mississippi River - Vicksburg 64 mi, MS/LA · Lake D'Arbonne 80 mi, LA · Moon Lake 87 mi, MS · Texas Lake 92 mi, MS · Tillatoba Lake 93 mi, MS · Ross Barnett Reservoir 93 mi, MS

See how Lake Chicot stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Arkansas · best white bass lakes in Arkansas · best crappie lakes in Arkansas · best bluegill 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.