Nimitz Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

Skip to interactive depth chart

Lake depth chart

Nimitz Lake, TX

Max 20 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 ~6 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~6 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.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Nimitz Lake

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 Nimitz Lake on the board.

Fishing Nimitz Lake: what the data says

95-acre reservoir near Kerrville. The lake tops out around 20 ft. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.

The outline encloses 94 acres, worked by 3.9 miles of shoreline. A development index of 2.9 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. 95% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Call it 1.6 mi long by 0.3 mi wide at the broadest reach. It sits in Kerr County. If the bite dies, Medina Lake is 35 mi to the southeast.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Nimitz Lake

Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 20 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 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 (10 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	6 to 20 ft	midday	Break off the point (13 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Nimitz Lake

Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 6 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 20 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 18 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Back-bay flat (6 ft)
Summer	6 to 20 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (18 ft)
Fall	6 to 20 ft	dusk	Deep basin (18 ft)
Winter	6 to 20 ft	midday	Deep basin (18 ft)

Crappie fishing at Nimitz Lake

When the water first warms, crappie slide up into 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 6 to 20 ft game here, winter a 6 to 20 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 18 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.

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	6 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Back-bay flat (6 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Break off the point (13 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	6 to 20 ft	midday	Deep basin (18 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Notable structure

Count 6 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 18 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 18 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 13 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 10 ft
Secondary point: point, around 6 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

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

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Nimitz Lake?

Nimitz Lake is about 20 ft (6 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Nimitz Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, crappie on Nimitz Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Nimitz Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 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 Nimitz Lake?

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 Nimitz Lake?

Fishing on Nimitz Lake 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

Medina Lake 35 mi · Llano River 40 mi · Frio River 45 mi · South Llano River 48 mi · Canyon Lake 55 mi · Lake LBJ 62 mi · Nueces River 62 mi · Lake Marble Falls 63 mi · Guadalupe River (Canyon Tailwater) 63 mi · Inks Lake 67 mi · Lake Buchanan 71 mi · Lake Dunlap 72 mi

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

Browse all Texas 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.