Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
264-acre lake near Sabetha. Kansas public fishing water with KDWP bathymetric map coverage and KBS surveyed contours. The lake tops out around 35 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. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Pony Creek Lake's chart carries 3.5 miles of bank. A middling shoreline index (2) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. 56% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water.
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 7 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run 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 (7 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (7 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (12 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (29 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 11 to 35 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 35 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (29 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Break off the point (29 ft) | |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (35 ft) |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 35 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is 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 | Shallow bay flat (7 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (7 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (7 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (35 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Back-bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Back-bay flat (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (7 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (7 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (7 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: saugeye in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 22 ft, wintering in 12 to 30 ft. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 29-ft range, prime in fall. Time it for the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (12 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (12 ft) | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (29 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 12 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (29 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
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 Pony Creek Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Kansas fishing regulations →
Pony Creek Lake is about 35 ft (11 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, saugeye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish on Pony Creek Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 7 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.
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 Pony Creek 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.
Verdon Lake 14 mi, NE · Iron Horse Trail Lake 18 mi, NE · Kirkmans Cove Lake 20 mi, NE · Centralia Lake 26 mi · Atchison County Park Lake 27 mi · Lake Burchard 32 mi, NE · Banner Creek Lake 34 mi · Brickyard Hill Conservation Area 39 mi, MO · Wolf Wildcat Lake 41 mi, NE · Bilby Ranch Lake Conservation Area 44 mi, MO · Rockford Lake 47 mi, NE · Pottawatomie County State Fishing Lake No. 1 47 mi
See how Pony Creek 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. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.