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6,951-acre reservoir near Melvern. Flint Hills reservoir with a mixed walleye/saugeye fishery. The lake tops out around 60 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. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
Melvern Lake maps at 6,928 acres behind 73.6 miles of shoreline. An index of 6.3 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. 45% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 10.9 mi, about 4 mi across. Osage County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Osage City Reservoir, is 9 mi to the northwest.
Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.
| 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 | Weed flat (7 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (40 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 40 ft. Start at Shallow feeding flat. It's a feeding flat holding about 19 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Weed flat (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (19 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Shallow feeding flat (19 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Break off the point (40 ft) |
When the water first warms, crappie slide up into 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 25 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 2 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.
| 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 (19 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Weed flat (7 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (60 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for bluegill tight to the bank in 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig is the honest summer answer here.
| 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 (7 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Weed flat (7 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Shallow feeding flat (19 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 40 ft, rated prime for fall walleye. Time it for the evening and early morning. You won't need more than a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (12 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (40 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (40 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (40 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Start shallow in spring: saugeye sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 22 ft; cold water stacks them in 12 to 30 ft. Top water on the chart: Rock reef, a rock pile in the 12 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in the evening and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (12 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Shoreline point (6 ft) | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Shoreline point (6 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 12 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (60 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Melvern Lake also holds sauger (10 to 30 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), blue catfish (10 to 40 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 19 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 60 ft.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Kansas waters are set by the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks — and special regulations can apply to Melvern Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Kansas fishing regulations →
Melvern Lake is about 60 ft (18 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, bluegill, walleye, saugeye, sauger, smallmouth bass, blue catfish on Melvern 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.
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.
Fishing on Melvern Lake is regulated by the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks. Check the official Kansas regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Osage City Reservoir 9 mi · Pomona Lake 13 mi · John Redmond Lake 17 mi · Carbondale Lake 22 mi · Neosho River 23 mi · Cedar Creek Lake 30 mi · Lone Star Lake 30 mi · Wabaunsee County Lake 34 mi · Madison City Lake 35 mi · Lake Shawnee 35 mi · Clinton Lake 36 mi · Douglas County State Fishing Lake 38 mi
See how Melvern Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Kansas · best smallmouth bass lakes in Kansas · best walleye lakes in Kansas · best saugeye lakes in Kansas
Browse all Kansas fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. 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.