Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
677.7-acre reservoir near Okemah. The lake tops out around 45 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. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
The outline encloses 670 acres, worked by 16.1 miles of shoreline. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 4.4) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Roughly 52% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 2.5 mi with a 2.1-mi widest point. Okfuskee County claims this one. If the bite dies, Okmulgee Lake is 15 mi to the northeast.
Spring largemouth bass on Okemah Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Back-bay flat — weed flat, 2 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Back-bay flat (2 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (11 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (15 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (30 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: white bass in 2 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 25 ft before dropping to 15 to 40 ft for winter. The spot to know is Buckeye Creek inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for white bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Buckeye Creek inflow (2 ft) | Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (15 ft) | Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish) |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (15 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Old creek channel (14 ft) | Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Put Old creek channel first on the milk run — a creek channel near 14 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Back-bay flat (2 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Old creek channel (14 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Old creek channel (14 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Old creek channel (14 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring channel catfish on Okemah Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. The chart's best answer is Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 3 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Creek inflow (3 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (14 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (14 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (44 ft) |
Spring flathead catfish on Okemah Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 44 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (14 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (14 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (14 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Deep basin (44 ft) |
Start shallow in spring: blue catfish sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 40 ft; cold water stacks them in 14 to 45 ft. Top water on the chart: Old creek channel, a creek channel in the 14 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (14 ft) | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Old creek channel (14 ft) | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (14 ft) | |
| Winter | 14 to 45 ft | midday | Deep basin (44 ft) |
Okemah Lake also holds common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), freshwater drum (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Okemah Lake carries 11 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 44 ft down.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Oklahoma waters are set by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation — and special regulations can apply to Okemah Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Oklahoma fishing regulations →
Okemah Lake is about 45 ft (14 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, common carp, freshwater drum on Okemah Lake.
Back-bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 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.
Fishing on Okemah Lake is regulated by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Check the official Oklahoma regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Okmulgee Lake 15 mi · Jim Hall (Henryetta) Lake 23 mi · Wewoka Lake 25 mi · Heyburn Lake 31 mi · Lake Holdenville 33 mi · Meeker Lake 35 mi · Chandler Lake 36 mi · Sahoma Lake 37 mi · Shawnee Twin Lakes #2 44 mi · Shawnee Twin Lakes #1 44 mi · Shell Lake 47 mi · Eufaula Lake 48 mi
See how Okemah Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Oklahoma · best white bass lakes in Oklahoma · best crappie lakes in Oklahoma · best channel catfish lakes in Oklahoma
Browse all Oklahoma fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. 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.