Lake Gilmer Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Lake Gilmer, TX

Max 28 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 ~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 Gilmer

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 Gilmer on the board.

Fishing Lake Gilmer: what the data says

1,010-acre reservoir near Gilmer. The lake tops out around 28 ft. The contours come from a model of the real basin shape and its known max depth. Read them as probabilities, not soundings, and keep them out of navigation decisions. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.

The drawn outline gives you 10.8 miles of bank to pick apart. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 2.8) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. About 78% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Figure 2.6 mi of water from one end to the other, 1.3 mi at the beam. The water lies in Upshur County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Lake Gladewater, 12 mi south of here.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Gilmer

The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 8 to 28 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 3 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.

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	Break off the point (13 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	8 to 28 ft	midday	Break off the point (13 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Lake Gilmer

Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 28 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 14 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.

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	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Old creek channel (14 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Old creek channel (14 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	8 to 28 ft	midday	Deep basin (24 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Gilmer

The spring pattern is a shallow one: channel catfish in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 25 ft, wintering in 8 to 28 ft. Top water on the chart: Old creek channel, a creek channel in the 14 ft range, prime in summer. Time it for after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (14 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Old creek channel (14 ft)
Fall	8 to 28 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (14 ft)
Winter	8 to 28 ft	midday	Deep basin (24 ft)

Bluegill fishing at Lake Gilmer

In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig most summer days.

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	Break off the point (13 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (24 ft)	Tiny spoon

Notable structure

7 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 24 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 24 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 14 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 13 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft

Lake Gilmer stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
2026*	Lone Star Bass (fingerling)	21,194	—
2024*	Lone Star Bass (fingerling)	20,739	—

* Approximate date (agency reports month or season only). Source: TPWD stocking history, retrieved 2026-09-03.

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

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Gilmer?

Lake Gilmer is about 28 ft (9 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 Gilmer?

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

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Gilmer?

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 Gilmer?

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 Gilmer stocked with fish?

Yes — per TPWD stocking history records, Lake Gilmer was most recently stocked 2026 with 21,194 lone star bass (fingerling). The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Lake Gilmer?

Fishing on Lake Gilmer 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 Gladewater 12 mi · Lake Hawkins 17 mi · Ellison Creek Reservoir 21 mi · Lake Bob Sandlin 21 mi · Lake O' the Pines 23 mi · Lake Winnsboro 23 mi · Welsh Reservoir 24 mi · Lake Cypress Springs 24 mi · Lake Quitman 27 mi · Lake Holbrook 32 mi · Lake Tyler East 36 mi · Lake Tyler 37 mi

See how Lake Gilmer 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.