Lake of the Woods Depth Map & Fishing Spots (OR)

Hatch outlook

Callibaetis (Speckled Dun)Active window

Typical here: Aug 15 – Sep 15 · the smaller fall brood

nymphthe hours before the midday emergence — nymphs rise off the weed tops in a vertical zigzag that can take hours — sources split between slow 2–4 inch strips with long pauses and a quicker steady retrieve; carry both speeds
dunmidday, roughly 11am into early afternoon
spinnermid-to-late-morning falls

Trout browse the weed-bed edges knocking nymphs loose, then cruise the flats sipping duns at midday — the marquee western lake mayfly.

The midday emergence puts cruisers over weed flats in under 20 ft: a casting bubble with a #14 Callibaetis nymph retrieved dead-slow with pauses is the honest match. Between hatch hours, small spoons and #1 inline spinners along the weed edges and drop-offs pick off the same fish.

The event happens over weed flats and weed-bed edges in 20 ft of water or less

Chironomids (stillwater midges)Active window

Typical here: May 1 – Oct 31

nymphearly morning, start of the day — fish the bloodworm ON the bottom — 4–6 inches off the mud before the emergence starts
pupathe cool morning hours are prime — as the emergence builds, slide the pupa up to 12–15 inches off bottom under the indicator; a little wind chop does the jigging

Concentrates by DEPTH BAND and mud type, not a fixed spot: roughly 20–25 ft in spring, deeper midsummer, in against the feeder creeks in summer heat, 5–25 ft in fall. Match the band.

This one translates almost perfectly: a slip float with a 1/64–1/100 oz midge-pattern jig set 4–15 inches off bottom over a mud flat, dead-sticked with the chop doing the work. Depth control is everything — no moving lure imitates a hanging pupa; the float rig IS the technique.

The event happens over open mud flats alongside weedlines, channels and basin edges; feeder-creek mouths in summer heat

Water boatman fall flightsActive window

Typical here: Aug 25 – Oct 10 · peaks on crisp, bright fall days after the first cold snap

adultmiddday-ish on calm, sunny fall days — the fishable moment is the splashdown: boatmen dive in headfirst trailing an air bubble and make repeated trips back to the surface — a fly or lure that dives nose-first on the drop imitates exactly this

Takes are seldom subtle — trout ravage boatmen as they hit the water and during their subsurface runs.

Tailor-made for hardware: a small 1/16 oz silver-bellied spoon or jig cast AT the rings of a splashdown sinks headfirst exactly like the natural — twitch-pause it back through the top few feet. On flight days fan-cast the shallow weed margins.

The event happens over near-shore shallows, weed beds and shoal margins on calm sunny fall afternoons

Grasshoppers (east-side summer)Active window

Typical here: Jun 15 – Sep 30

adultall day in high summer, best when afternoon wind knocks bugs onto the water

Pulls fish to the windward grassy banks and edges for months — fish the bank the wind blows ONTO.

The friendliest crossover of the summer: on lakes, drift the windward bank with a bubble-and-foam-hopper — the bubble's splash doesn't hurt a hopper presentation. On rivers, the same rig dead-drifted along the undercut grass banks, or small gold spinners under the banks between rises.

The event happens over grassy banks, undercut edges and windward shorelines

Next on this water

Damselfly migration · forageMay 15 – Jul 31 · in ~9 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.

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Recent catches at Lake of the Woods

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 of the Woods on the board.

Fishing Lake of the Woods: what the data says

1,229-acre lake in Oregon. The lake tops out around 54 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

Lake of the Woods maps at 1,226 acres behind 8.2 miles of shoreline. With a 1.7 development index there's bank structure worth casting at, in moderation. About 46% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Figure 3 mi of water from one end to the other, 1.2 mi at the beam. If the bite dies, Fish Lake is 6 mi to the west.

Rainbow Trout fishing at Lake of the Woods

Spring rainbow trout on Lake of the Woods hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 40 ft. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 24 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (14 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (24 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (14 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (24 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Brown Trout fishing at Lake of the Woods

In spring, brown trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 25 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 16 to 54 ft before dropping to 5 to 35 ft for winter. Summer brown trout concentrate at Break off the point, a prime-rated drop-off around 24 ft. Fish it in after dark and early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (14 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	16 to 54 ft	night & dawn	Break off the point (24 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	5 to 30 ft	dusk & dawn	Main-lake point (14 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	5 to 35 ft	dawn	Break off the point (24 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Brook Trout fishing at Lake of the Woods

Early season brook trout use the shallows, holding in 2 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 3 to 20 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 24 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (14 ft)	Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (24 ft)	Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm
Fall	2 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (14 ft)	Small spoon (orange), Spinner
Winter	3 to 20 ft	dawn	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic

Yellow Perch fishing at Lake of the Woods

The spring pattern is a shallow one: yellow perch in 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Break off the point (24 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	12 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (24 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday & dawn	Break off the point (24 ft)	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Notable structure

The chart marks 6 structure features on Lake of the Woods; the deepest is Deep basin at about 46 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 46 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 24 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 14 ft
Secondary point: point, around 14 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft

Lake of the Woods fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Oregon waters are set by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Lake of the Woods specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Oregon fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake of the Woods?

Lake of the Woods is about 54 ft (16 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 of the Woods?

Anglers target rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, yellow perch on Lake of the Woods.

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake of the Woods?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Lake of the Woods?

For rainbow trout, 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 of the Woods?

Fishing on Lake of the Woods is regulated by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Check the official Oregon regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Fish Lake 6 mi · Fourmile Lake 7 mi · Howard Prairie Lake 13 mi · Agency Lake 17 mi · Crater Lake 40 mi · Squaw Lakes 47 mi · Gerber Reservoir 58 mi · Miller Lake 61 mi · Klamath River 63 mi, CA · Rogue River 64 mi · Campbell Lake 74 mi, CA · Kangaroo Lake 75 mi, CA

See how Lake of the Woods stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Oregon · best yellow perch lakes in Oregon · best brown trout lakes in Oregon · best brook trout lakes in Oregon

Browse all Oregon 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.