Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeLake depth chart
Today's read
Rating depth structure for rainbow trout.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
3-acre lake near Cowles. The lake tops out around 20 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The outline encloses 3 acres, worked by 0.3 miles of shoreline. At index 1.2 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 53% of this chart, as modeled. Santa Fe County claims this one. Lake Katherine sits 1 mi west — the closest neighbouring chart.
In spring, cutthroat trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 6 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 20 ft. Inlet is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 6 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 | Inlet (6 ft) | Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (9 ft) | Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner |
| Fall | 4 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Casting spoon, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (9 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig |
Spring rainbow trout on Stewart Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 5 to 20 ft in summer, 4 to 20 ft once it turns cold. Put Inlet first on the milk run — an inflow / creek mouth near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inlet (6 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inlet (6 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 4 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (9 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Early season brook trout use the shallows, holding in 2 to 15 ft. Summer is a 6 to 20 ft game here, winter a 3 to 20 ft one. The chart's best answer is Inlet — inflow / creek mouth, 6 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 | Inlet (6 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inlet (6 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Inlet (6 ft) | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Inlet (6 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
5 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 17 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New Mexico waters are set by the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish — and special regulations can apply to Stewart Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New Mexico fishing regulations →
Stewart Lake is about 20 ft (6 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 cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brook trout on Stewart Lake.
Inlet is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For cutthroat 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 Stewart Lake is regulated by the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish. Check the official New Mexico regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Lake Katherine 1 mi · Pecos River (Upper) 5 mi · Santa Cruz Lake 15 mi · Monastery Lake 16 mi · Morphy Lake 20 mi · Mora River (Upper) 25 mi · Storrie Lake 30 mi · Rio Grande (Pilar / Orilla Verde) 31 mi · Cochiti Lake 35 mi · Coyote Creek 36 mi · McAllister Lake 37 mi · Rio Grande (Taos) 39 mi
See how Stewart Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in New Mexico · best brook trout lakes in New Mexico · best cutthroat trout lakes in New Mexico
Browse all New Mexico 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.