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7,200-acre lake near Hot Springs. The busy Hot Springs resort lake on the Ouachita River. Docks, brush piles and a good crappie and striper bite. The lake tops out around 90 ft. Depth here is modeled from the true shoreline and max depth rather than surveyed; use it to plan, not to navigate. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Lake Hamilton maps at 6,294 acres behind 148.7 miles of shoreline, broken up by 11 islands. A development index of 13.4 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. Roughly 73% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. End to end it runs roughly 11.4 mi, about 5.1 mi across. Garland County claims this one. If the bite dies, Lake Catherine is 10 mi to the east.
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold 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. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | Sharp break (15 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (15 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: spotted bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 15 to 40 ft; cold water stacks them in 25 to 50 ft. Top water on the chart: Shoreline point, a point in the 8 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop shot over brush or an underspin + fluke (schoolers) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (8 ft) | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
Spring puts striped bass in skinny water — 5 to 20 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 25 to 60 ft, wintering in 20 to 50 ft. Spring striped bass concentrate at Hot Springs Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Hot Springs Creek inflow (8 ft) | 3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Sharp break (18 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Spring crappie on Lake Hamilton hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 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 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 | Sharp break (15 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Sharp break (15 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (15 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring bluegill on Lake Hamilton hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 25 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 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 | Sharp break (15 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 40 ft. Put Hot Springs Creek inflow first on the milk run — an inflow / creek mouth near 8 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Hot Springs Creek inflow (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Hot Springs Creek inflow (8 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Sharp break (15 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Sharp break (18 ft) |
Count 16 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 77 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Arkansas waters are set by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission — and special regulations can apply to Lake Hamilton specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Arkansas fishing regulations →
Lake Hamilton is about 90 ft (27 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.
Anglers target largemouth bass, spotted bass, striped bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish on Lake Hamilton.
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 map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
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.
Fishing on Lake Hamilton is regulated by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. Check the official Arkansas regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Lake Catherine 10 mi · DeGray Lake 15 mi · Lake Ouachita 20 mi · Nimrod Lake 35 mi · Lake Greeson 40 mi · Lake Maumelle 42 mi · Blue Mountain Lake 55 mi · Lake Conway 56 mi · Lake Dardanelle 62 mi · Millwood Lake 70 mi · Broken Bow Lake 90 mi, OK · Greers Ferry Lake 91 mi
See how Lake Hamilton stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Arkansas · best crappie lakes in Arkansas · best bluegill lakes in Arkansas · best channel catfish lakes in Arkansas
Browse all Arkansas 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.