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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. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Traced from the shoreline, Parsons Lake runs 828 acres with 13 miles of edge. A development index of 3.2 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. About 73% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Call it 3 mi long by 1.3 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Neosho County. For a second option, Thayer Old City Lake lies 9 mi northwest.
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 22 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait most summer days.
| 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 | Break off the point (12 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Break off the point (12 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
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. Time it for after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Labette Creek inflow (2 ft) | |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (9 ft) | |
| Fall | 7 to 22 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (9 ft) | |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) |
Spring puts crappie in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 7 to 22 ft, wintering in 7 to 22 ft. Fall crappie concentrate at Old creek channel, a prime-rated creek channel around 9 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| 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 | 7 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | Old creek channel (9 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Old creek channel (9 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: bluegill in 1 to 6 ft. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 7 to 22 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 5 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) | Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, saugeye slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 22 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 22 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 12 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Keep a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Labette Creek inflow (2 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (12 ft) | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 6 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (12 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (22 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Parsons Lake carries 8 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 22 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 Kansas waters are set by the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks — and special regulations can apply to Parsons Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Kansas fishing regulations →
Parsons Lake is about 22 ft (7 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, channel catfish, crappie, bluegill, saugeye 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. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
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 Parsons Lake is regulated by the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks. Check the official Kansas regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Thayer Old City Lake 9 mi · Thayer New City Lake 10 mi · Big Hill Lake 10 mi · Verdigris River 25 mi · Wilson County State Fishing Lake 27 mi · Elk City Lake 28 mi · Woodson County State Fishing Lake 38 mi · Yates Center Reservoir 38 mi · New Yates Center Lake 39 mi · Fort Scott City Lake 41 mi · Toronto Lake 41 mi · Shawnee Trail Conservation Area 41 mi, MO
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 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.