Purtis Creek Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Purtis Creek Lake, TX

Max 30 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 ~5 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~6 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Purtis Creek 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 Purtis Creek Lake on the board.

Fishing Purtis Creek Lake: what the data says

349-acre reservoir near Eustace. Catch-and-release bass gem in Purtis Creek State Park (electric motors only). The lake tops out around 30 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.

Traced from the shoreline, Purtis Creek Lake runs 356 acres with 8.4 miles of edge, with 2 islands in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 3.2) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 81% of this chart, as modeled. Tip to tip the water measures near 1.8 mi with a 0.8-mi widest point. You'll find it in Van Zandt County. The nearest mapped water is Cedar Creek Reservoir, 8 mi to the southwest.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Purtis Creek Lake

Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 9 to 30 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 4 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

White Bass fishing at Purtis Creek Lake

Early season white bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 9 to 30 ft. Put Main-lake point first on the milk run — a point near 8 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank
Summer	8 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish)
Fall	6 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Jigging spoon, Blade bait
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)	Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait

Crappie fishing at Purtis Creek Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 25 ft before dropping to 9 to 30 ft for winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 26 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Deep basin (26 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Purtis Creek Lake

Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 25 ft; cold water stacks them in 9 to 30 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 26 ft range, prime in winter. Fish it in after dark and the evening and you'll meet the bite.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (26 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Deep basin (26 ft)
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (26 ft)

Notable structure

5 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 26 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 26 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft

Purtis Creek Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Texas waters are set by the Texas Parks & Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Purtis Creek Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Purtis Creek Lake?

Purtis Creek Lake is about 30 ft (9 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in Purtis Creek Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, channel catfish on Purtis Creek Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Purtis Creek Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 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.

When is the best time to fish Purtis Creek 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Purtis Creek Lake?

Fishing on Purtis Creek Lake is regulated by the Texas Parks & Wildlife. Check the official Texas regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Cedar Creek Reservoir 8 mi · Mill Creek Reservoir 14 mi · Lake Athens 17 mi · Richland-Chambers Reservoir 29 mi · Lake Palestine 32 mi · Lake Halbert 32 mi · Lake Holbrook 35 mi · Lake Tawakoni 37 mi · Bardwell Lake 41 mi · Lake Fork 41 mi · Lake Hawkins 47 mi · Lake Quitman 47 mi

See how Purtis Creek Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best white bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas · best channel catfish lakes in Texas

Browse all Texas fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. 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.