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Fishing Lake Livingston: what the data says
83,277-acre reservoir near Livingston. The lake tops out around 90 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
White Bass fishing at Lake Livingston
In spring, white bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Kickapoo Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for white bass in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | see map |
Striped Bass fishing at Lake Livingston
Spring striped bass on Lake Livingston hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 25 to 60 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 50 ft. The spot to know is Kickapoo Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for striped bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a flutter spoon (deep) or a umbrella rig (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Livingston
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| 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 |
Crappie fishing at Lake Livingston
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. 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 33 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| 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 Livingston
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Kickapoo Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 Livingston
In spring, blue catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 40 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 50 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring blue catfish. 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 | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday |
Lake Livingston also holds flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer), freshwater drum (8 to 30 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 33 ft
- Deepest basin: deep basin, around 31 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 23 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 23 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 20 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 19 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 19 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 16 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 16 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 15 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 13 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 11 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 11 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Livingston?
Lake Livingston is about 90 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Lake Livingston?
Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, channel catfish, striped bass, flathead catfish, blue catfish, freshwater drum, common carp, longnose gar on Lake Livingston.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Livingston?
Kickapoo Creek inflow is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for white 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 Livingston?
For white 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 Conroe · Sam Rayburn Reservoir · Lake Palestine · Lake Athens · Richland-Chambers Reservoir · Toledo Bend Reservoir
See how Lake Livingston stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best white bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas · best channel catfish lakes in Texas
Browse all Texas fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.