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248-acre reservoir near Colton. 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. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
Drawn out, this is 227 acres of water rimmed by 5.3 miles of bank, broken up by 2 islands. With a shoreline index of 2.5, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 59% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. The basin spans about 1.6 mi end to end and 1.1 mi across at its widest. The nearest mapped water is Five Falls Reservoir, 2 mi to the east.
Early season walleye use the shallows, holding in 4 to 15 ft. Summer is a 15 to 35 ft game here, winter an 11 to 35 ft one. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 17 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Secondary point (14 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (17 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 11 to 35 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (17 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (35 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Spring puts smallmouth bass in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 30 ft, wintering in 11 to 35 ft. Fall smallmouth bass concentrate at Secondary point, a prime-rated point around 14 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (2 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (17 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Secondary point (14 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 11 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (17 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring puts northern pike in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 5 to 15 ft. Spring northern pike concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 8 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (8 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (8 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (8 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (8 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: brown bullhead in 2 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 12 ft, wintering in 10 to 25 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 8 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | Shallow bay flat (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Shallow bay flat (8 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (8 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (35 ft) |
Spring yellow perch on South Colton Reservoir hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 8 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (8 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Break off the point (17 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (35 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (35 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
South Colton Reservoir carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 35 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New York waters are set by the New York DEC — and special regulations can apply to South Colton Reservoir specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
South Colton Reservoir 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 walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, brown bullhead, yellow perch on South Colton Reservoir.
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 17 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For walleye, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on South Colton Reservoir is regulated by the New York DEC. Check the official New York regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Five Falls Reservoir 2 mi · Rainbow Falls Reservoir 4 mi · Carry Falls Reservoir 11 mi · Lake Ozonia 13 mi · Tooley Pond 18 mi · Massawepie Lake 21 mi · Trout Lake 23 mi · Cranberry Lake 25 mi · Long Pond 26 mi · Piercefield Flow 26 mi · Rollins Pond 27 mi · Sucker Lake 27 mi
See how South Colton Reservoir stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in New York · best walleye lakes in New York · best northern pike lakes in New York · best yellow perch lakes in New York
Browse all New York 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.