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5,438-acre reservoir near Norman. The lake tops out around 55 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
The outline encloses 5,515 acres, worked by 58.1 miles of shoreline. The 5.6 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 48% of this chart. The basin spans about 7.1 mi end to end and 5.6 mi across at its widest. It sits in Cleveland County. Lake Stanley Draper sits 10 mi northwest — the closest neighbouring chart.
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. Sharp break is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 23 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 | Rock reef (5 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Sharp break (10 ft) | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Sharp break (23 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 12 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Sharp break (23 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Thunderbird 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 Weed flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 6 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 | Weed flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (10 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (4 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (31 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 Weed flat — weed flat, 6 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 | Weed flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (23 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Sharp break (10 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (31 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring channel catfish on Lake Thunderbird 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 18 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 | Weed flat (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (18 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Shallow feeding flat (18 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Break off the point (31 ft) |
Start shallow in spring: blue catfish sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 40 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 50 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 52 ft of water that rates prime for blue catfish in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | Sharp break (23 ft) | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (18 ft) | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Break off the point (31 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Deep basin (52 ft) |
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 Sharp break — drop-off, 23 ft, prime for summer. 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 | Shoreline point (4 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (23 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (4 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Break off the point (31 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
The chart marks 21 structure features on Lake Thunderbird; the deepest is Deep basin at about 52 ft.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
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 Thunderbird specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Oklahoma fishing regulations →
Lake Thunderbird is about 55 ft (17 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 saugeye, largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, blue catfish, white bass & hybrids on Lake Thunderbird.
Sharp break is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 23 ft of water that rates prime for saugeye in fall. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For saugeye, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. 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 Thunderbird 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.
Lake Stanley Draper 10 mi · Shawnee Twin Lakes #1 11 mi · Shawnee Twin Lakes #2 12 mi · Dahlgren Lake 13 mi · Meeker Lake 24 mi · Arcadia Lake 28 mi · Lake Hefner 30 mi · Lake Overholser 31 mi · R.C. Longmire Lake 35 mi · Chandler Lake 39 mi · Liberty Lake 40 mi · Wewoka Lake 40 mi
See how Lake Thunderbird stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Oklahoma · best saugeye lakes in Oklahoma · best crappie lakes in Oklahoma · best channel catfish 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.