Lake Elmer Depth Map & Fishing Spots (OK)

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Lake depth chart

Lake Elmer, OK

Max 8 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 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 Elmer

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 Elmer on the board.

Fishing Lake Elmer: what the data says

38-acre reservoir in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma. The lake tops out around 8 ft. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.

The outline encloses 38 acres, worked by 2.5 miles of shoreline. An index of 2.9 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. Call it 0.6 mi long by 0.3 mi wide at the broadest reach. Kingfisher County claims this one. Lake Watonga sits 25 mi west — the closest neighbouring chart.

Bluegill fishing at Lake Elmer

When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 2 to 8 ft game here, winter a 2 to 8 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	2 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	2 to 8 ft	midday	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	2 to 8 ft	midday	Deep basin (8 ft)	Tiny spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Elmer

When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 2 to 8 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 8 ft, winter 2 to 8 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 8 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	2 to 8 ft	dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)
Summer	2 to 8 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (8 ft)
Fall	2 to 8 ft	dusk	Deep basin (8 ft)
Winter	2 to 8 ft	midday	Deep basin (8 ft)

Crappie fishing at Lake Elmer

Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 8 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 8 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 8 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.

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

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Elmer

When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 8 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 8 ft, winter 2 to 8 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	2 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (5 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	2 to 8 ft	midday	Break off the point (7 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 5 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 8 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 8 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 7 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 5 ft
Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Lake Elmer fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Oklahoma waters are set by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation — and special regulations can apply to Lake Elmer specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Oklahoma fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Elmer?

Lake Elmer is about 8 ft (2 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Lake Elmer?

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

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Elmer?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Lake Elmer?

For bluegill, 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 Elmer?

Fishing on Lake Elmer is regulated by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Check the official Oklahoma regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Lake Watonga 25 mi · Liberty Lake 30 mi · Lake Hefner 31 mi · Guthrie Lake 31 mi · Lake Overholser 32 mi · American Horse Lake 33 mi · Arcadia Lake 38 mi · Langston Lake 40 mi · Perry Lake 44 mi · Lake Stanley Draper 51 mi · Lake Chickasha 51 mi · Crowder Lake 52 mi

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

Browse all Oklahoma 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.