Mitchell Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (AL)

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Lake depth chart

Mitchell Lake, AL

Max 90 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 on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Mitchell 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 Mitchell Lake on the board.

Fishing Mitchell Lake: what the data says

5,850-acre lake near Verbena. A Coosa River lake between Lay and Jordan. Clear water, bluff walls and quality spotted bass. The lake tops out around 90 ft. Contours on this water are modeled from its actual shoreline and max depth. Good for finding likely water, never for navigation. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.

There are 47.9 miles of drawn shoreline to work, with 5 islands in the mix. An index of 8.4 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 68% of the surface on the model — that's where the groceries are. Tip to tip the water measures near 6.6 mi with a 3.1-mi widest point. Coosa County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Lake Jordan, is 11 mi to the south.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Mitchell Lake

Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Old creek channel (45 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Spotted Bass fishing at Mitchell Lake

Start shallow in spring: spotted bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 15 to 40 ft; cold water stacks them in 25 to 50 ft. Top water on the chart: Main-lake point, a point in the 23 ft range, prime in fall. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop shot over brush or an underspin + fluke (schoolers) until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (23 ft)	Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head
Summer	15 to 40 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (23 ft)	Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (23 ft)	Walking topwater, Underspin
Winter	25 to 50 ft	midday	Main-lake point (23 ft)	Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Mitchell Lake

Spring crappie on Mitchell Lake hold shallow, usually 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. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled).

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Deep basin (77 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Mitchell Lake

Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 40 ft. Put Coosa River inflow first on the milk run — an inflow / creek mouth near 8 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Coosa River inflow (8 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Coosa River inflow (8 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (45 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Old creek channel (45 ft)

Striped Bass fishing at Mitchell Lake

Spring puts striped bass in skinny water — 5 to 20 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 25 to 60 ft, wintering in 20 to 50 ft. Spring striped bass concentrate at Coosa River inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Coosa River inflow (8 ft)	3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug
Summer	25 to 60 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (23 ft)	Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (23 ft)	Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig
Winter	20 to 50 ft	midday	Old creek channel (45 ft)	Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom

Bluegill fishing at Mitchell Lake

Spring bluegill on Mitchell Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 25 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (77 ft)	Tiny spoon

Notable structure

The chart marks 7 structure features on Mitchell Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 77 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 77 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 45 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 23 ft
Secondary point: point, around 23 ft
Coosa River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft

Mitchell Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Alabama waters are set by the Alabama DCNR — and special regulations can apply to Mitchell Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Alabama fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Mitchell Lake?

Mitchell Lake is about 90 ft (27 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.

What fish are in Mitchell Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, spotted bass, crappie, channel catfish, striped bass, bluegill on Mitchell Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Mitchell Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.

When is the best time to fish Mitchell 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Mitchell Lake?

Fishing on Mitchell Lake is regulated by the Alabama DCNR. Check the official Alabama regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Lake Jordan 11 mi · Lay Lake 23 mi · Coosa River (Wetumpka) 23 mi · Lake Martin 28 mi · Bibb County Public Fishing Lake 45 mi · Logan Martin Lake 46 mi · Lake Wedowee 54 mi · Clay County Public Fishing Lakes 56 mi · Dallas County Public Fishing Lake 58 mi · Chambers County Public Fishing Lake 61 mi · Lee County Public Fishing Lake 67 mi · Bankhead Lake 69 mi

See how Mitchell Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Alabama · best crappie lakes in Alabama · best bluegill lakes in Alabama · best channel catfish lakes in Alabama

Browse all Alabama 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.