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762-acre lake near City of Saint John. Government of New Brunswick lake depth survey. The lake tops out around 30 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Traced from the shoreline, Ludgate Lake runs 773 acres with 9.5 miles of edge. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 2.4) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. About 69% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Tip to tip the water measures near 2.2 mi with a 1-mi widest point. The water lies in Saint John County. The nearest mapped water is Spruce Lake, 1 mi to the east.
Spring puts smallmouth bass in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 9 to 29.9 ft, wintering in 9 to 29.9 ft. Fall smallmouth bass concentrate at Main-lake point, a prime-rated point around 8 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 9 to 29.9 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (13 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 9 to 29.9 ft | midday | Break off the point (13 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Early season chain pickerel use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 3 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 18 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 4 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Spring yellow perch on Ludgate Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 9 to 29.9 ft, and by winter most fish are in 9 to 29.9 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 4 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 9 to 29.9 ft | dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 9 to 29.9 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 9 to 29.9 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Start shallow in spring: brook trout sit in 2 to 15 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 9 to 29.9 ft; cold water stacks them in 3 to 20 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 25 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 9 to 29.9 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (25 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (13 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Start shallow in spring: white perch sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 9 to 29.9 ft; cold water stacks them in 9 to 29.9 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 25 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 9 to 29.9 ft | dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 9 to 29.9 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 9 to 29.9 ft | dusk | Deep basin (25 ft) | Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes |
Ludgate Lake carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 25 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New Brunswick waters are set by the New Brunswick fishing rules — and special regulations can apply to Ludgate Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New Brunswick fishing regulations →
Ludgate Lake is about 29.9 ft (9 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, brook trout, white perch on Ludgate Lake. 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.
Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For smallmouth 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.
Fishing on Ludgate Lake is regulated by the New Brunswick fishing rules. Check the official New Brunswick regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Spruce Lake 1 mi · Menzies Lake 2 mi · Shadow Lake 4 mi · East Branch Reservoir 5 mi · Nelson Lake 5 mi · Round Lake 5 mi · Belvidere Lake 6 mi · Loch Alva 7 mi · Deer Lake 7 mi · Eagle Lake 8 mi · West Branch Reservoir 8 mi · Lily Lake 9 mi
See how Ludgate Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in New Brunswick · best yellow perch lakes in New Brunswick · best brook trout lakes in New Brunswick · best chain pickerel lakes in New Brunswick
More water nearby: Saint John County fishing maps (19 charts). Browse all New Brunswick fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. 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.