Martin Creek Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Martin Creek Lake, TX

Max 41 ft

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Where to start

Fall shad migration window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Fall shad migrationActive window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Dec 15 · upper ends and stained creeks turn on first, the main lake follows; Deep-South creeks hold bait into December

adultall day, best mid-afternoon as the sun warms the bait — the rare pattern where you can sleep in — follow the bait, not the structure: gulls, herons and egrets diving or stacked in a creek mean the shad (and the bass) are there — run and gun until you find flickering bait or surface activity

Concentrates hard but unevenly — whole stretches go empty while one creek loads up. The birds are the map.

Creek-arm run-and-gun: lipless crankbait and squarebill through the flats and ditches, walking topwater over surface schools, a 3/8 oz spinnerbait around isolated cover along the creek channel. Downsize to match the young-of-year shad; jerkbaits are the sleeper.

The event happens over backs of creek arms, pockets and ditches, secondary points on the way in, and main-lake flats where the bait balls roam

Willow fly (summer mayfly)Active window

Typical here: Apr 1 – Oct 31 · recurring broods all summer — the heart of it is June–July, famously around July 4th on the Tennessee River lakes; any one hatch lasts days to ~3 weeks

dunhatches at dusk — clouds of bugs just before dark, continuing into the night — after hatching they fly to shoreline foliage — trees near lighted docks get covered; the feeding zone is the water under bug-loaded overhanging bushes and willows
spinnerthe following days: mating, egg drop and spent flies falling from the overhangs — the bream bite under the bushes runs as long as the bugs do

A two-level event: bream stack under the bug trees, and the big bass stack under the bream. Fish the same bushes twice — small for bream, big for the bass just outside them.

Crickets or small poppers under a float tight to the bug-covered bushes for bream; beetle spins and hair jigs just under the surface; for the bass, run a bluegill-pattern topwater or squarebill down the outside edge of the overhangs.

The event happens over under and just outside overhanging willows and bushes on steep banks; trees near lighted docks after dark

Next on this water

Spring crawfish emergence · forageFeb 15 – May 15 · in ~6 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~6 months

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 1 – Jul 31 · in ~8 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Martin Creek Lake

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Martin Creek Lake on the board.

Fishing Martin Creek Lake: what the data says

4,981-acre reservoir near Tatum. The lake tops out around 41 ft. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.

Traced from the shoreline, Martin Creek Lake runs 4,551 acres with 44.7 miles of edge, broken up by 6 islands. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 4.7) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 48% of this chart. End to end it runs roughly 6.1 mi, about 3.8 mi across. The water lies in Rusk County. The nearest mapped water is Brandy Branch Reservoir, 15 mi to the north.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Martin Creek Lake

Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Sharp break (7 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (27 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Martin Creek Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 25 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 2 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow feeding flat (15 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Sharp break (7 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Deep basin (39 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at Martin Creek Lake

Spring puts bluegill in skinny water — 1 to 6 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 10 to 25 ft. Spring bluegill concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 2 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Weed flat (4 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Weed flat (6 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Shallow feeding flat (15 ft)	Tiny spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Martin Creek Lake

Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 39 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Creek inflow (2 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Shallow feeding flat (15 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Shallow feeding flat (15 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Deep basin (39 ft)

Blue Catfish fishing at Martin Creek Lake

Spring blue catfish on Martin Creek Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 10 to 40 ft in summer and finish the year down in 12 to 41 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 39 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 25 ft	dusk	Creek inflow (2 ft)
Summer	10 to 40 ft	dawn & dusk	Deep basin (39 ft)
Fall	12 to 41 ft	dusk	Deep basin (39 ft)
Winter	12 to 41 ft	midday	Deep basin (39 ft)

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 16 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 39 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 39 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 27 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 15 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 12 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Secondary point: point, around 7 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 7 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 6 ft
Weed flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 6 ft
Rock reef: rock pile, around 4 ft
Weed flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Martin Creek Lake stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
2026*	Lone Star Bass (fingerling)	67,315	—
2024*	Lone Star Bass (fingerling)	61,808	—

* Approximate date (agency reports month or season only). Source: TPWD stocking history, retrieved 2026-08-18.

Martin Creek Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Texas waters are set by the Texas Parks & Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Martin Creek Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Martin Creek Lake?

Martin Creek Lake is about 41 ft (12 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Martin Creek Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, blue catfish on Martin Creek Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Martin Creek Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 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 Martin Creek Lake?

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.

Is Martin Creek Lake stocked with fish?

Yes — per TPWD stocking history records, Martin Creek Lake was most recently stocked 2026 with 67,315 lone star bass (fingerling). The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Martin Creek Lake?

Fishing on Martin Creek Lake is regulated by the Texas Parks & Wildlife. Check the official Texas regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Brandy Branch Reservoir 15 mi · Lake Murvaul 16 mi · Lake Striker 31 mi · Lake Naconiche 32 mi · Lake Tyler East 33 mi · Lake Gladewater 33 mi · Lake Tyler 36 mi · Pinkston Reservoir 39 mi · Lake O' the Pines 40 mi · Lake Gilmer 44 mi · Lake Nacogdoches 45 mi · Cross Lake 46 mi, LA

See how Martin Creek Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas · best bluegill lakes in Texas · best channel catfish lakes in Texas

Browse all Texas fishing maps or 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.