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Fishing New Croton Reservoir: what the data says
2,304-acre reservoir near Croton-on-Hudson. The lake tops out around 146 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Smallmouth Bass fishing at New Croton Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 18 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at New Croton Reservoir
Spring largemouth bass on New Croton Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at New Croton Reservoir
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Common Carp fishing at New Croton Reservoir
In spring, common carp run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 30 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring common carp. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 134 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 28 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 25 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 18 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 17 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 15 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 9 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is New Croton Reservoir?
New Croton Reservoir is about 146 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in New Croton Reservoir?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, common carp on New Croton Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on New Croton Reservoir?
Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 18 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish New Croton Reservoir?
For smallmouth 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.
Nearby waters
Amawalk Reservoir · Muscoot Reservoir · Cross River Reservoir · Kensico Reservoir · Mahopac Lake · Kirk Lake
See how New Croton Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in New York · best smallmouth bass lakes in New York · best yellow perch lakes in New York · best common carp lakes in New York
Browse all New York fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.