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Fishing Lake O' the Pines: what the data says
18,680-acre reservoir near Jefferson. The lake tops out around 51 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.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake O' the Pines
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 9 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. 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 |
Spotted Bass fishing at Lake O' the Pines
In spring, spotted bass run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 15 to 40 ft in summer and finish the year down in 25 to 50 ft. The spot to know is Rock reef, a rock pile in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for spotted bass in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A drop shot over brush or a underspin + fluke (schoolers) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
White Bass fishing at Lake O' the Pines
Start shallow in spring: white bass sit in 2 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 |
Crappie fishing at Lake O' the Pines
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 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 24 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Blue Catfish fishing at Lake O' the Pines
Start shallow in spring: blue catfish sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. 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 24 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 |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake O' the Pines
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish 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 |
Lake O' the Pines also holds flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer), chain pickerel (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 42 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 24 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 18 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 17 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 17 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 9 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 9 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 7 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 7 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 3 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 3 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake O' the Pines?
Lake O' the Pines is about 51 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 O' the Pines?
Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, spotted bass, chain pickerel on Lake O' the Pines.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake O' the Pines?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth 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 O' the Pines?
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.
Nearby waters
Welsh Reservoir · Lake Bob Sandlin · Wright Patman Lake · Martin Creek Lake · Caddo Lake · Lake Murvaul
See how Lake O' the Pines 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.