Lake depth chart
Today's read
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
97-acre lake near Perth and Kinross. The lake tops out around 55 ft. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. The depth data here comes from Murray & Pullar's Scottish loch survey of 1897-1909, digitized from the bathymetric atlas published in 1910. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Traced from the shoreline, Loch Skiach runs 96 acres with 2.5 miles of edge. Index 1.8 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. Roughly 68% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.7 mi with a 0.4-mi widest point. You'll find it in Perth and Kinross. The nearest mapped water is Loch Scoly, 2 mi to the west.
Early season brown trout use the shallows, holding in 3 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 17 to 55 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 35 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 55 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. Tie on a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Secondary point (7 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 17 to 55 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Deep basin (55 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Secondary point (7 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Spring puts european perch in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 28 ft, wintering in 12 to 33 ft. Spring european perch concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 2 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small crankbait (perch pattern) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner #1-2 |
| Summer | 8 to 28 ft | dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small crankbait (perch pattern) |
| Fall | 10 to 33 ft | midday | Break off the point (7 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Drop-shot on deep flats |
| Winter | 12 to 33 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Tungsten jig + maggots, Small balance jig |
Spring puts northern pike in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 15 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Secondary point (7 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, arctic char slide up into 4 to 15 ft. Summer is a 17 to 55 ft game here, winter a 10 to 40 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 55 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt) rigged through the warm months.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small) |
| Summer | 17 to 55 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Deep basin (55 ft) | Jigging spoon vertical, Tube jig (smelt) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Break off the point (7 ft) | Casting spoon (orange/gold), Beadhead streamer |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (7 ft) | Jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + plastic |
6 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 55 ft, is the deepest of them.
Loch Skiach is about 55 ft (17 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth data here comes from Murray & Pullar's Scottish loch survey of 1897-1909, digitized from the bathymetric atlas published in 1910.
Anglers target brown trout, european perch, northern pike, arctic char on Loch Skiach. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For brown trout, the summer bite is best in after dark 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.
Loch Scoly 2 mi · Loch Kennard 3 mi · Loch na Craige 4 mi · Loch Ordie 5 mi · Loch Fender 6 mi · Loch of Craiglush 6 mi · Loch Hoil 6 mi · Loch of Lowes or Loch of the Lowes 6 mi · Loch of Butterstone 7 mi · Loch Derculich 7 mi · Loch Broom 7 mi · Loch Benachally 8 mi
See how Loch Skiach stacks up: best northern pike lakes in United Kingdom · best european perch lakes in United Kingdom · best brown trout lakes in United Kingdom · best arctic char lakes in United Kingdom
More water nearby: Perth and Kinross fishing maps (40 charts). Browse all United Kingdom fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. 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.