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Rating depth structure for brown bullhead.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
232-acre lake near Nevada County. The lake tops out around 34 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
The drawn water covers 232 acres wrapped in 3.3 miles of bank. With a 1.5 development index there's bank structure worth casting at, in moderation. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 68% of this chart, as modeled. End to end it runs roughly 1.2 mi, about 0.5 mi across. It sits in Nevada County. Its nearest charted neighbour, French Lake, is 2 mi to the west.
When the water first warms, brown bullhead slide up into 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (29 ft) |
Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 29 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for California waters are set by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Meadow Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official California fishing regulations →
Meadow Lake is about 34 ft (10 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 brown bullhead on Meadow Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for brown bullhead in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For brown bullhead, the summer bite is best in after dark 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 Meadow Lake is regulated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Check the official California regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
French Lake 2 mi · Fordyce Lake 2 mi · Lake Sterling 4 mi · Faucherie Lake 4 mi · White Rock Lake 6 mi · Sawmill Lake 6 mi · Culbertson Lake 7 mi · Lower Rock Lake 7 mi · Feely Lake 7 mi · Lindsey Lakes 8 mi · Carr Lake 8 mi · Blue Lake 8 mi
See how Meadow Lake stacks up: best brown bullhead lakes in California
More water nearby: Nevada County fishing maps (15 charts). Browse all California 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.