Lake Crook Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Lake Crook, TX

Max 25 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

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Lake Crook

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 Crook on the board.

Fishing Lake Crook: what the data says

1,060-acre reservoir near Paris. The lake tops out around 25 ft. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

Traced from the shoreline, Lake Crook runs 1,050 acres with 12.4 miles of edge. With a shoreline index of 2.7, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 70% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Tip to tip the water measures near 3 mi with a 1.3-mi widest point. The water lies in Lamar County. For a second option, Pat Mayse Lake lies 8 mi north.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Crook

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 8 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 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 (2 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Back-bay flat (11 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (4 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	8 to 25 ft	midday	Break off the point (11 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Crook

In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 24 ft, rated prime for winter channel catfish. Time it for after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Little Pine Creek inflow (2 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (24 ft)
Fall	8 to 25 ft	dusk	Deep basin (24 ft)
Winter	8 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (24 ft)

Blue Catfish fishing at Lake Crook

Come spring, look for blue catfish tight to the bank in 5 to 25 ft. Through summer count on 6 to 25 ft; the winter hold is 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 24 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 25 ft	dusk	Little Pine Creek inflow (2 ft)
Summer	6 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Deep basin (24 ft)
Fall	8 to 25 ft	dusk	Deep basin (24 ft)
Winter	8 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (24 ft)

Crappie fishing at Lake Crook

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 8 to 25 ft. Winter crappie concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 24 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 (2 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Back-bay flat (11 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Back-bay flat (11 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	8 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (24 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Notable structure

Count 8 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 24 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 24 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 19 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 11 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 11 ft
Secondary point: point, around 9 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Little Pine Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft

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

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Crook?

Lake Crook is about 25 ft (8 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Lake Crook?

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

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Crook?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Lake Crook?

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 Crook?

Fishing on Lake Crook 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

Pat Mayse Lake 8 mi · Davy Crockett Lake 19 mi · Coffee Mill Lake 23 mi · Big Creek Reservoir 23 mi · Bois d'Arc Lake 26 mi · Hugo Lake 26 mi, OK · Cooper Lake 29 mi · Schooler Lake 30 mi, OK · Lake Bonham 33 mi · Bonham State Park Lake 34 mi · Lake Sulphur Springs 38 mi · Lake Ozzie Cobb 39 mi, OK

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

Browse all Texas fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. 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.