Lake Hawkins Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

Skip to interactive depth chart

Lake depth chart

Lake Hawkins, TX

Max 30 ft

Today's read

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.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Lake Hawkins

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 Hawkins on the board.

Fishing Lake Hawkins: what the data says

633-acre reservoir near Hawkins. The lake tops out around 30 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

The drawn water covers 650 acres wrapped in 14 miles of bank. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 3.9) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 79% of this chart, as modeled. Tip to tip the water measures near 3.1 mi with a 1.6-mi widest point. It sits in Wood County. If the bite dies, Lake Gilmer is 17 mi to the northeast.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Hawkins

Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 9 to 30 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 4 ft, prime for spring. 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	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (14 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	9 to 30 ft	midday	Break off the point (14 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Lake Hawkins

Spring crappie on Lake Hawkins hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 9 to 30 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 26 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run 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 (4 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (14 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Break off the point (14 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Hawkins

Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 9 to 30 ft one. The chart's best answer is Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 4 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Creek inflow (4 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (26 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Deep basin (26 ft)
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)

Blue Catfish fishing at Lake Hawkins

The spring pattern is a shallow one: blue catfish in 5 to 25 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 30 ft, wintering in 9 to 30 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 26 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for early morning and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 25 ft	dusk	Creek inflow (4 ft)
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Deep basin (26 ft)
Fall	9 to 30 ft	dusk	Deep basin (26 ft)
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)

Bluegill fishing at Lake Hawkins

Spring bluegill on Lake Hawkins hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 4 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in 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 (4 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Break off the point (14 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)	Tiny spoon

Notable structure

8 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 26 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 26 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 14 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
Clear Branch inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft

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

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Hawkins?

Lake Hawkins is about 30 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 Hawkins?

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

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Hawkins?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Lake Hawkins?

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 Hawkins?

Fishing on Lake Hawkins 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 Gilmer 17 mi · Lake Gladewater 18 mi · Lake Holbrook 18 mi · Lake Quitman 20 mi · Lake Winnsboro 20 mi · Lake Tyler 27 mi · Lake Tyler East 28 mi · Lake Fork 29 mi · Lake Cypress Springs 30 mi · Lake Bob Sandlin 31 mi · Lake Palestine 34 mi · Mill Creek Reservoir 35 mi

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

More water nearby: Wood County fishing maps (5 charts). 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.