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Fishing Lake Dunlap: what the data says
410-acre reservoir near New Braunfels. first of the Guadalupe Valley lakes above New Braunfels. The lake tops out around 40 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Dunlap
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 5 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spotted Bass fishing at Lake Dunlap
Start shallow in spring: spotted bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 15 to 40 ft, and by winter most fish are in 12 to 40 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 10 ft, rated prime for spring spotted bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A drop shot over brush or a underspin + fluke (schoolers) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | midday | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Lake Dunlap
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 12 to 40 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 10 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Crappie fishing at Lake Dunlap
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 34 ft that scores prime in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Dunlap
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 20 to 40 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Blue Catfish fishing at Lake Dunlap
In spring, blue catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 10 to 40 ft in summer and finish the year down in 12 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 34 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | midday |
Lake Dunlap also holds flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 34 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 18 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 10 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 10 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
- Guadalupe River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Dunlap?
Lake Dunlap is about 40 ft (12 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 Dunlap?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, spotted bass on Lake Dunlap.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Dunlap?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 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 Dunlap?
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.
Nearby waters
Lake Placid · Guadalupe River (Canyon Tailwater) · Canyon Lake · San Marcos River · Calaveras Lake · Victor Braunig Lake
See how Lake Dunlap stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best smallmouth bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas · best bluegill lakes in Texas
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