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28-acre lake in Essex County, Massachusetts. The lake tops out around 25 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 drawn water covers 28 acres wrapped in 0.9 miles of bank. At index 1.2 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 28% of this chart. Call it 0.4 mi long by 0.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. Essex County claims this one. If the bite dies, Lake Pentucket is 1 mi to the northwest.
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 10 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. Start at Back-bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Back-bay flat (2 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Early season rainbow trout use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Summer is a 7 to 25 ft game here, winter a 5 to 25 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 25 ft, prime for winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 7 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (25 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 7 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (25 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 5 to 25 ft | dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring brook trout on Lake Saltonstall hold shallow, usually 2 to 15 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 20 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 25 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (25 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: chain pickerel in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 15 ft, wintering in 5 to 18 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 10 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Lake Saltonstall also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 3 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 25 ft.
Access data: Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife — Public Water Access. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
| Date | Species | Count | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 13 | Brown Trout | — | — |
| May 13 | Eastern Brook Trout | — | — |
| Apr 28 | Tiger Trout | — | — |
| Mar 27 | Rainbow Trout | — | — |
Source: MassWildlife trout-stocking report, retrieved 2026-08-18.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Massachusetts waters are set by the MassWildlife — and special regulations can apply to Lake Saltonstall specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Massachusetts fishing regulations →
Lake Saltonstall is about 25 ft (8 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, bluegill, rainbow trout, yellow perch, brook trout, chain pickerel, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Lake Saltonstall.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 10 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.
Yes — per MassWildlife trout-stocking report records, Lake Saltonstall was most recently stocked May 13 with brown trout. The full stocking history is listed above.
Fishing on Lake Saltonstall is regulated by the MassWildlife. Check the official Massachusetts regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Lake Pentucket 1 mi · Crystal Lake 4 mi · Rock Pond 5 mi · Pentucket Pond Outlet Reservoir 5 mi · Captain Pond 6 mi, NH · Lake Attitash 6 mi · World End Pond 7 mi, NH · Stiles Pond 7 mi · Baldpate Pond 7 mi · Upper Artichoke Reservoir 7 mi · Country Pond 7 mi, NH · Millville Lake 8 mi, NH
See how Lake Saltonstall stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Massachusetts · best bluegill lakes in Massachusetts · best rainbow trout lakes in Massachusetts · best yellow perch lakes in Massachusetts
More water nearby: Essex County fishing maps (14 charts). Browse all Massachusetts 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.