Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeLake depth chart
Today's read
Rating depth structure for smallmouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
1,355-acre lake in Cowichan Valley Regional District, British Columbia. The lake tops out around 198 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Shawnigan Lake maps at 1,337 acres behind 16.4 miles of shoreline, broken up by 7 islands. An index of 3.2 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 37% of this chart, as modeled. Tip to tip the water measures near 4.4 mi with a 2-mi widest point. Cowichan Valley Regional District claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Oliphant Lake, is 4 mi to the southeast.
Early season brook trout use the shallows, holding in 2 to 15 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 3 to 20 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shawnigan Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 8 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shawnigan Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Shawnigan Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shawnigan Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Shawnigan Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Come spring, look for brown bullhead tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 3 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (168 ft) |
In spring, cutthroat trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 40 ft. Shawnigan Creek inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring cutthroat trout. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shawnigan Creek inflow (8 ft) | Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Shawnigan Creek inflow (8 ft) | Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shawnigan Creek inflow (8 ft) | Casting spoon, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | dawn | Shawnigan Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig |
Early season kokanee use the shallows, holding in 10 to 30 ft. Summer is a 30 to 70 ft game here, winter a 20 to 80 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shawnigan Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 8 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Deep basin (168 ft) | Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn | Deep basin (168 ft) | Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn |
| Fall | 5 to 40 ft | dawn | Shawnigan Creek inflow (8 ft) | Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Deep basin (168 ft) | Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon |
Start shallow in spring: pumpkinseed sit in 1 to 8 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 2 to 10 ft; cold water stacks them in 6 to 18 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in the evening and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, smallmouth bass slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shawnigan Creek inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shawnigan Creek inflow (8 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (89 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (50 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (89 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Shawnigan Lake also holds rainbow trout (8 to 30 ft in summer), lake whitefish (40 to 90 ft in summer), yellow perch (10 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 19 structure features on Shawnigan Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 168 ft.
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 British Columbia waters are set by the BC freshwater fishing synopsis — and special regulations can apply to Shawnigan Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official British Columbia fishing regulations →
Shawnigan Lake is about 198 ft (60 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.
Anglers target brook trout, brown bullhead, cutthroat trout, kokanee, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, lake whitefish, yellow perch on Shawnigan Lake.
Shawnigan Creek inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for brook trout in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For brook trout, 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 Shawnigan Lake is regulated by the BC freshwater fishing synopsis. Check the official British Columbia regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Oliphant Lake 4 mi · Spectacle Lake 5 mi · Sooke Lake 6 mi · Butchart Lake 6 mi · Dougan Lake 6 mi · Jarvis Lake 6 mi · Council Lake 7 mi · Lubbe Lake 7 mi · Wrigglesworth Lake 8 mi · Wild Deer Lake 8 mi · Goldstream Lake 8 mi · Lois Lake 9 mi
See how Shawnigan Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in British Columbia · best rainbow trout lakes in British Columbia · best yellow perch lakes in British Columbia · best brook trout lakes in British Columbia
More water nearby: Cowichan Valley Regional District fishing maps (30 charts). Browse all British Columbia 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.