Lake Pat Cleburne Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Lake Pat Cleburne, TX

Max 41 ft

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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.

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Recent catches at Lake Pat Cleburne

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 Pat Cleburne on the board.

Fishing Lake Pat Cleburne: what the data says

1,558-acre reservoir near Cleburne. The lake tops out around 41 ft. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.

Drawn out, this is 1,568 acres of water rimmed by 13.3 miles of bank, with a single island in the mix. With a shoreline index of 2.4, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Roughly 48% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 3.7 mi with a 1.6-mi widest point. The water lies in Johnson County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Cleburne State Park Lake, 8 mi west of here.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Pat Cleburne

Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (7 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (10 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Secondary point (6 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (10 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

White Bass fishing at Lake Pat Cleburne

Early season white bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 15 to 40 ft one. The chart's best answer is Robinson Branch inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 3 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Robinson Branch inflow (3 ft)	Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank
Summer	8 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (6 ft)	Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish)
Fall	6 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (6 ft)	Jigging spoon, Blade bait
Winter	15 to 40 ft	midday	Deep basin (40 ft)	Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait

Crappie fishing at Lake Pat Cleburne

The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 25 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 7 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (7 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (10 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Break off the point (10 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Deep basin (40 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Pat Cleburne

Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Robinson Branch inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Robinson Branch inflow (3 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Shallow feeding flat (17 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Shallow feeding flat (17 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Deep basin (40 ft)

Blue Catfish fishing at Lake Pat Cleburne

Spring blue catfish on Lake Pat Cleburne hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 10 to 40 ft in summer and finish the year down in 12 to 41 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 40 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 25 ft	dusk	Robinson Branch inflow (3 ft)
Summer	10 to 40 ft	dawn & dusk	Deep basin (40 ft)
Fall	12 to 41 ft	dusk	Deep basin (40 ft)
Winter	12 to 41 ft	midday	Deep basin (40 ft)

Flathead Catfish fishing at Lake Pat Cleburne

In spring, flathead catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 12 to 41 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 40 ft, rated prime for winter flathead catfish. Time it for after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 20 ft	night & dusk	Robinson Branch inflow (3 ft)
Summer	8 to 30 ft	night & dusk	Break off the point (10 ft)
Fall	10 to 35 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (40 ft)
Winter	12 to 41 ft	midday	Deep basin (40 ft)

Notable structure

9 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 40 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 40 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 17 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 10 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 7 ft
Secondary point: point, around 6 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 3 ft
Robinson Branch inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 3 ft
Town Branch inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 3 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Pat Cleburne Reservoir — ramp
Pat Cleburne Reservoir — ramp
Pat Cleburne Reservoir — ramp
Pat Cleburne Reservoir — ramp

Access data: Texas Parks & Wildlife — Public Boat Ramps. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Lake Pat Cleburne stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
2026*	Sunshine Bass (fry)	291,360	—
2026*	Lone Star Bass (fingerling)	13,931	—
2025*	Bluegill Sunfish (fingerling)	42,268	—
2025*	Largemouth Bass (fingerling)	17,810	—
2025*	Sunshine Bass (fry)	319,860	—
2024*	ShareLunker largemouth Bass (adult)	98	—
2024*	Sunshine Bass (fingerling)	18,471	—
2024*	Sunshine Bass (fry)	100,000	—

* Approximate date (agency reports month or season only). Source: TPWD stocking history, retrieved 2026-08-18.

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

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Pat Cleburne?

Lake Pat Cleburne is about 41 ft (12 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 Lake Pat Cleburne?

Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, channel catfish, blue catfish, flathead catfish on Lake Pat Cleburne.

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Pat Cleburne?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 7 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 Pat Cleburne?

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.

Is Lake Pat Cleburne stocked with fish?

Yes — per TPWD stocking history records, Lake Pat Cleburne was most recently stocked 2026 with 291,360 sunshine bass (fry). The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Lake Pat Cleburne?

Fishing on Lake Pat Cleburne 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

Cleburne State Park Lake 8 mi · Alvarado Park Lake 12 mi · Wheeler Branch Reservoir 20 mi · Comanche Creek Reservoir 21 mi · Lake Granbury 22 mi · Benbrook Lake 22 mi · Lake Whitney 23 mi · Aquilla Lake 30 mi · Lake Arlington 30 mi · Joe Pool Lake 31 mi · Meridian State Park Lake 33 mi · Lake Worth 35 mi

See how Lake Pat Cleburne 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 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.