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591-acre reservoir near Ballinger. West Texas city lake. An unusual walleye fishery. The lake tops out around 40 ft. Contours on this water are modeled from its actual shoreline and max depth. Good for finding likely water, never for navigation. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
New Ballinger Lake maps at 504 acres behind 9.4 miles of shoreline — one island included. An index of 3 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 2 mi with a 1.1-mi widest point. It sits in Runnels County. Lake Winters sits 17 mi northeast — the closest neighbouring chart.
Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is 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 (5 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (34 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring puts white bass in skinny water — 2 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 25 ft, wintering in 15 to 40 ft. Spring white bass concentrate at Valley Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 4 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Valley Creek inflow (4 ft) | Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish) |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (34 ft) | Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait |
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 15 to 35 ft before dropping to 20 to 40 ft for winter. Spring walleye concentrate at Valley Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 4 ft. Fish it in the evening and early morning and you'll meet the bite. 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 | Valley Creek inflow (4 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (34 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (34 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
When the water first warms, crappie slide up into 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 10 to 25 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 34 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run 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 (5 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (34 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Valley Creek inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Valley Creek inflow (4 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Valley Creek inflow (4 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Deep basin (34 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (34 ft) |
In spring, blue catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 40 ft, and winter fish settle into 12 to 40 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 34 ft, rated prime for winter blue catfish. Time it for early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | Valley Creek inflow (4 ft) | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (34 ft) | |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk | Deep basin (34 ft) | |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (34 ft) |
Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 34 ft.
| Date | Species | Count | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025* | Lone Star Bass (fingerling) | 53,000 | — |
* Approximate date (agency reports month or season only). Source: TPWD stocking history, retrieved 2026-09-03.
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 New Ballinger Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Texas fishing regulations →
New Ballinger Lake is about 40 ft (12 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 largemouth bass, white bass, walleye, crappie, channel catfish, blue catfish on New Ballinger Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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.
Yes — per TPWD stocking history records, New Ballinger Lake was most recently stocked 2025 with 53,000 lone star bass (fingerling). The full stocking history is listed above.
Fishing on New Ballinger 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.
Lake Winters 17 mi · O.H. Ivie Reservoir 25 mi · Oak Creek Reservoir 26 mi · Hords Creek Lake 28 mi · O.C. Fisher Lake 33 mi · E.V. Spence Reservoir 33 mi · Lake Abilene 35 mi · Lake Nasworthy 37 mi · Lake Coleman 37 mi · Twin Buttes Reservoir 40 mi · Kirby Lake 47 mi · Lake Sweetwater 49 mi
See how New Ballinger Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best walleye lakes in Texas · best white bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas
Browse all Texas 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.