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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
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6-acre lake near Pecos. The lake tops out around 20 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
The drawn water covers 6 acres wrapped in 0.4 miles of bank. Nearly circular (index 1.3), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. Roughly 49% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. It sits in San Miguel County. Pecos River (Upper) sits 13 mi north — the closest neighbouring chart.
Come spring, look for rainbow trout tight to the bank in 5 to 20 ft. Through summer count on 5 to 20 ft; the winter hold is 4 to 20 ft. Start at Inlet. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inlet (6 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inlet (6 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 4 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (9 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Start shallow in spring: brown trout sit in 2 to 20 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 6 to 20 ft covers summer, 3 to 20 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: Inlet, an inflow / creek mouth in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in after dark and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inlet (6 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | night & dawn | Break off the point (9 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dusk & dawn | Inlet (6 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Inlet (6 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 6 to 20 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shoreline weed flat — weed flat, 3 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is 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 | Shoreline weed flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (9 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 | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Break off the point (9 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 6 to 20 ft game here, winter a 6 to 20 ft one. The chart's best answer is Inlet — inflow / creek mouth, 6 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Inlet (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (17 ft) | |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | dusk | Deep basin (17 ft) | |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Deep basin (17 ft) |
Spring bluegill on Monastery Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 20 ft. The chart's best answer is Shoreline weed flat — weed flat, 3 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in 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 | Shoreline weed flat (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline weed flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (9 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Deep basin (17 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Monastery Lake carries 5 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 17 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New Mexico waters are set by the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish — and special regulations can apply to Monastery Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New Mexico fishing regulations →
Monastery Lake is about 20 ft (6 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 rainbow trout, brown trout, largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill on Monastery Lake.
Inlet is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For rainbow trout, 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 Monastery Lake is regulated by the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish. Check the official New Mexico regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Pecos River (Upper) 13 mi · Stewart Lake 16 mi · Lake Katherine 17 mi · Storrie Lake 25 mi · Morphy Lake 29 mi · McAllister Lake 29 mi · Santa Cruz Lake 29 mi · Mora River (Upper) 33 mi · Cochiti Lake 36 mi · Coyote Creek 47 mi · Rio Grande (Pilar / Orilla Verde) 48 mi · Rio Grande (Taos) 56 mi
See how Monastery Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in New Mexico · best bluegill lakes in New Mexico · best channel catfish lakes in New Mexico · best rainbow trout lakes in New Mexico
More water nearby: San Miguel County fishing maps (6 charts). Browse all New Mexico 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.