Lake Cisco Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Lake Cisco, TX

Max 70 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 ~6 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 Cisco

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 Cisco on the board.

Fishing Lake Cisco: what the data says

1,050-acre reservoir near Cisco. The lake tops out around 70 ft. Contours on this water are modeled from its actual shoreline and max depth. Good for finding likely water, never for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

There are 15.6 miles of drawn shoreline to work. A development index of 4.8 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. Roughly 62% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Figure 2.3 mi of water from one end to the other, 1.7 mi at the beam. It sits in Eastland County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Lake Daniel, is 16 mi to the northeast.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Cisco

Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is 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 (6 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (18 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	Break off the point (32 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Lake Cisco

Spring crappie on Lake Cisco hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run 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 (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	Break off the point (32 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Cisco

Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 20 to 40 ft one. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 32 ft, good for winter. Best bite is after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	open water
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Break off the point (32 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Break off the point (32 ft)

Bluegill fishing at Lake Cisco

Spring bluegill on Lake Cisco hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in 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 (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 (60 ft)	Tiny spoon

Notable structure

Lake Cisco carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 60 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 60 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 32 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 18 ft
Secondary point: point, around 18 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft

Lake Cisco stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
2026*	Channel Catfish (fingerling)	106,610	—
2026*	Lone Star Bass (fingerling)	26,269	—
2024*	Lone Star Bass (fingerling)	15,899	—

* Approximate date (agency reports month or season only). Source: TPWD stocking history, retrieved 2026-08-18.

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

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Cisco?

Lake Cisco is about 70 ft (21 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 Cisco?

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

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Cisco?

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. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Lake Cisco?

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.

Is Lake Cisco stocked with fish?

Yes — per TPWD stocking history records, Lake Cisco was most recently stocked 2026 with 106,610 channel catfish (fingerling). The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Lake Cisco?

Fishing on Lake Cisco 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

Lake Daniel 16 mi · Lake Leon 18 mi · Hubbard Creek Reservoir 23 mi · Hubbard Creek Reservoir 24 mi · Lake Clyde 29 mi · Lake Brownwood 40 mi · Lake Coleman 41 mi · Lake Fort Phantom Hill 41 mi · Proctor Lake 42 mi · Kirby Lake 43 mi · Lake Palo Pinto 43 mi · Possum Kingdom Lake 44 mi

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

Browse all Texas 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.