Pawhuska Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (OK)

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Lake depth chart

Pawhuska Lake, OK

Max 40 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

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 1 – Jul 31 · in ~8 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 Pawhuska Lake

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 Pawhuska Lake on the board.

Fishing Pawhuska Lake: what the data says

104-acre reservoir in Osage County, Oklahoma. The lake tops out around 40 ft. The depth chart comes from published agency 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.

Drawn out, this is 104 acres of water rimmed by 3 miles of bank. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 2.1) — enough points and pockets to pattern. Roughly 46% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Figure 1 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.4 mi at the beam. The water lies in Osage County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Bluestem Lake, 4 mi north of here.

Bluegill fishing at Pawhuska Lake

In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 1 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Break off the point (26 ft)	Tiny spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Pawhuska Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: channel catfish in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 25 ft, wintering in 20 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 40 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	open water
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Break off the point (26 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Break off the point (26 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Deep basin (40 ft)

Crappie fishing at Pawhuska Lake

Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 40 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (26 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	open water	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Deep basin (40 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Flathead Catfish fishing at Pawhuska Lake

Spring puts flathead catfish in skinny water — 5 to 20 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 30 ft, wintering in 12 to 40 ft. Winter flathead catfish concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 40 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	5 to 20 ft	night & dusk	open water
Summer	8 to 30 ft	night & dusk	Break off the point (26 ft)
Fall	10 to 35 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (40 ft)
Winter	12 to 40 ft	midday	Deep basin (40 ft)

Largemouth Bass fishing at Pawhuska Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 26 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (26 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Notable structure

Count 6 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 40 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 40 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 26 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 1 ft
Secondary point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft

Pawhuska Lake fishing regulations

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

Check the official Oklahoma fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Pawhuska Lake?

Pawhuska Lake is about 40 ft (12 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Pawhuska Lake?

Anglers target bluegill, channel catfish, crappie, flathead catfish, largemouth bass on Pawhuska Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Pawhuska Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 1 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

When is the best time to fish Pawhuska Lake?

For bluegill, 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 Pawhuska Lake?

Fishing on Pawhuska 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.

Nearby waters

Bluestem Lake 4 mi · Hominy Municipal Lake 17 mi · Waxhoma Lake 17 mi · Fairfax City Lake 19 mi · Hulah Lake 25 mi · Skiatook Lake 27 mi · Cleveland City Lake 28 mi · Pawnee Lake 30 mi · Keystone Lake 30 mi · Shell Lake 34 mi · Lake Ponca 35 mi · Sedan City South Lake 36 mi, KS

See how Pawhuska Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Oklahoma · best crappie lakes in Oklahoma · best bluegill lakes in Oklahoma · best channel catfish lakes in Oklahoma

More water nearby: Osage County fishing maps (8 charts). Browse all Oklahoma 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.