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Fishing Lake Waco: what the data says
8,465-acre reservoir near Waco. The lake tops out around 86 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 Waco
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. 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 | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
White Bass fishing at Lake Waco
In spring, white bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Hog Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | see map |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Lake Waco
Spring white bass & hybrids on Lake Waco hold shallow, usually 3 to 15 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Hog Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for white bass & hybrids in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Crappie fishing at Lake Waco
Spring crappie on Lake Waco hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Waco
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Hog Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. 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 | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Blue Catfish fishing at Lake Waco
In spring, blue catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 40 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 50 ft. Hog Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring blue catfish. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday |
Lake Waco also holds flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 72 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 25 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 19 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 18 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 16 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 13 ft
- North Bosque River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 11 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 11 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 8 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 7 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 7 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 6 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Waco?
Lake Waco is about 86 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 Waco?
Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids, flathead catfish, blue catfish on Lake Waco.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Waco?
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 Waco?
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
Aquilla Lake · Belton Lake · Lake Whitney · Navarro Mills Lake · Stillhouse Hollow Lake · Lake Mexia
See how Lake Waco 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 every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.