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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
4,500-acre reservoir near Fort Sumner. The lake tops out around 65 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. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
The drawn outline gives you 20.9 miles of bank to pick apart. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 4) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Roughly 60% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 3.6 mi with a 1.8-mi widest point. De Baca County claims this one. Perch Lake sits 26 mi northwest — the closest neighbouring chart.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: walleye in 4 to 15 ft. As the season builds they drop to 15 to 35 ft, wintering in 20 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Pecos River inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in the 7 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Pecos River inflow (7 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (29 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (29 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (29 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: white bass in 2 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 25 ft before dropping to 15 to 40 ft for winter. The spot to know is Pecos River inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for white bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Pecos River inflow (7 ft) | Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish) |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (55 ft) | Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait |
Early season smallmouth bass use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 45 ft. Put Main-lake point first on the milk run — a point near 16 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Pecos River inflow (7 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (29 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (29 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring largemouth bass on Sumner Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (29 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring channel catfish on Sumner Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. The chart's best answer is Pecos River inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 7 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Pecos River inflow (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Pecos River inflow (7 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Break off the point (29 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Break off the point (29 ft) |
Early season white bass & hybrids use the shallows, holding in 3 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 40 ft. Put Pecos River inflow first on the milk run — an inflow / creek mouth near 7 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Pecos River inflow (7 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Break off the point (29 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Sumner Lake carries 7 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 55 ft down.
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 Sumner Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New Mexico fishing regulations →
Sumner Lake is about 65 ft (20 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 walleye, white bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids on Sumner Lake.
Pecos River inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every 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 Sumner 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.
Perch Lake 26 mi · Park Lake 27 mi · Santa Rosa Lake 33 mi · Conchas Lake 54 mi · Canadian River (below Conchas Dam) 54 mi · Oasis State Park Lake 64 mi · Greene Acres Lake 68 mi · Ned Houk Ponds 69 mi · Ute Lake 71 mi · McAllister Lake 76 mi · Storrie Lake 86 mi · Lea Lake 91 mi
See how Sumner Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in New Mexico · best smallmouth bass lakes in New Mexico · best walleye lakes in New Mexico · best white bass 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.