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784.2-acre reservoir near Ponca City. The lake tops out around 50 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. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
The outline encloses 672 acres, worked by 13.7 miles of shoreline. An index of 3.8 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 40% of this chart. Call it 3.1 mi long by 1.7 mi wide at the broadest reach. It sits in Kay County. Fairfax City Lake sits 18 mi southeast — the closest neighbouring chart.
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Ponca hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 2 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| 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 (15 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Secondary point (11 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (15 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 10 to 25 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 2 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| 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 | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (15 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (15 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (15 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring channel catfish on Lake Ponca hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. Put Shallow feeding flat first on the milk run — a feeding flat near 15 ft that grades prime for fall. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (15 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Shallow feeding flat (15 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (46 ft) |
In spring, saugeye run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 22 ft, and winter fish settle into 12 to 30 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 15 ft, rated prime for fall saugeye. Time it for the evening and early morning. You won't need more than a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (3 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Secondary point (11 ft) | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (15 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 12 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (15 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Early season white bass & hybrids use the shallows, holding in 3 to 15 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 20 to 40 ft one. The chart's best answer is Secondary point — point, 11 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (3 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Secondary point (11 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Secondary point (11 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (46 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 25 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 2 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (15 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (15 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Break off the point (15 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Structure-wise the chart holds 7 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 46 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Oklahoma waters are set by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation — and special regulations can apply to Lake Ponca specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Oklahoma fishing regulations →
Lake Ponca is about 50 ft (15 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, saugeye, white bass & hybrids, bluegill on Lake Ponca.
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.
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.
Fishing on Lake Ponca is regulated by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Check the official Oklahoma regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Fairfax City Lake 18 mi · Pawnee Lake 28 mi · Bluestem Lake 34 mi · Pawhuska Lake 35 mi · Lone Chimney Lake 35 mi · Perry Lake 38 mi · Boomer Lake 40 mi · Cleveland City Lake 40 mi · Hominy Municipal Lake 40 mi · Wellington Lake 43 mi, KS · Winfield City Lake 44 mi, KS · Arkansas River 44 mi, KS
See how Lake Ponca stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Oklahoma · best saugeye lakes in Oklahoma · best crappie lakes in Oklahoma · best bluegill lakes in Oklahoma
Browse all Oklahoma fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. 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.