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Fishing Lake Rousseau: what the data says
3,700-acre lake near Dunnellon. The lake tops out around 27 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Rousseau
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 27 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| 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 | 8 to 27 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Lake Rousseau
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Crappie fishing at Lake Rousseau
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 27 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 20 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| 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 | 8 to 27 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Rousseau
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 27 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. 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 | 8 to 27 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 8 to 27 ft | midday |
Striped Bass fishing at Lake Rousseau
In spring, striped bass run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 27 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 27 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for striped bass in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a flutter spoon (deep) or a umbrella rig (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 8 to 27 ft | dawn & dusk | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 27 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 8 to 27 ft | midday | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Lake Rousseau
In spring, white bass & hybrids run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 27 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 27 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 20 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 8 to 27 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 8 to 27 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 20 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 10 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 8 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 7 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 4 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Rousseau?
Lake Rousseau is about 27 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 Rousseau?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, striped bass, white bass & hybrids on Lake Rousseau.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Rousseau?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 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 Rousseau?
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
Lake Panasoffkee · Lochloosa Lake · Orange Lake · Lake Weir · Newnans Lake · Lake Griffin
See how Lake Rousseau stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Florida · best crappie lakes in Florida · best bluegill lakes in Florida · best channel catfish lakes in Florida
Browse all Florida fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.