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Fishing Parsons Lake: what the data says
772-acre lake near Parsons. southeast Kansas municipal lake stocked with saugeye. The lake tops out around 22 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Parsons Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 22 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| 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 | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Parsons Lake
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 22 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 22 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 9 ft, rated prime for summer channel catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 7 to 22 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday |
Crappie fishing at Parsons Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 22 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 22 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Parsons Lake
Spring bluegill on Parsons 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 7 to 22 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Saugeye fishing at Parsons Lake
Start shallow in spring: saugeye sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 22 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 22 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 12 ft of water that rates prime for saugeye in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. A crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 6 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 22 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 12 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 9 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 6 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 5 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Labette Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Parsons Lake?
Parsons Lake is about 22 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 Parsons Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, saugeye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish on Parsons Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Parsons 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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Parsons Lake?
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.
Nearby waters
Big Hill Lake · Verdigris River · Elk City Lake · Toronto Lake · Fall River Lake · Neosho River
See how Parsons Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Kansas · best saugeye lakes in Kansas · best crappie lakes in Kansas · best bluegill lakes in Kansas
Browse all Kansas fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.