Lake Winters Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Lake Winters, TX

Max 31 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

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Lake Winters

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 Lake Winters on the board.

Fishing Lake Winters: what the data says

337-acre reservoir near Winters. The lake tops out around 31 ft. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

The drawn water covers 320 acres wrapped in 4.4 miles of bank. With a 1.8 development index there's bank structure worth casting at, in moderation. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 17% of this chart. Call it 1 mi long by 0.9 mi wide at the broadest reach. Runnels County claims this one. If the bite dies, New Ballinger Lake is 17 mi to the southwest.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Winters

When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 9 to 31 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 9 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (10 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (9 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (9 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	9 to 31 ft	midday	Break off the point (24 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Lake Winters

Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 9 to 31 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 31 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Back-bay flat (3 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (24 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Shallow bay flat (10 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	9 to 31 ft	midday	Deep basin (31 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Blue Catfish fishing at Lake Winters

Spring puts blue catfish in skinny water — 5 to 25 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 31 ft; cold water stacks them in 9 to 31 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 30 ft, rated prime for summer blue catfish. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 25 ft	dusk	Elm Creek inflow (11 ft)
Summer	8 to 31 ft	dawn & dusk	Old creek channel (30 ft)
Fall	9 to 31 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (30 ft)
Winter	9 to 31 ft	midday	Deep basin (31 ft)

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 8 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 31 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 31 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 30 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 24 ft
Secondary point: point, around 12 ft
Elm Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 11 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 10 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 9 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 3 ft

Lake Winters fishing regulations

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 Lake Winters specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Winters?

Lake Winters is about 31 ft (9 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Lake Winters?

Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, blue catfish on Lake Winters.

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Winters?

Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Lake Winters?

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 Lake Winters?

Fishing on Lake Winters 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.

Nearby waters

New Ballinger Lake 17 mi · Hords Creek Lake 19 mi · Lake Abilene 20 mi · Lake Coleman 22 mi · Oak Creek Reservoir 26 mi · O.H. Ivie Reservoir 30 mi · Kirby Lake 30 mi · Lake Clyde 34 mi · E.V. Spence Reservoir 41 mi · Lake Sweetwater 42 mi · Lake Fort Phantom Hill 45 mi · Lake Brownwood 48 mi

See how Lake Winters stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas · best blue catfish lakes in Texas

Browse all Texas fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. 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.