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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
224-acre lake in Maricopa County, Arizona. The lake tops out around 18 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. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
The drawn water covers 259 acres wrapped in 5.1 miles of bank. The 2.3 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. 98% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 2.3 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.4 mi at the beam. Maricopa County claims this one. Kiwanis Park Lake sits 4 mi south — the closest neighbouring chart.
Spring largemouth bass on Tempe Town Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 5 to 18 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 18 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 3 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.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the 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 | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (8 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring channel catfish on Tempe Town Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 5 to 18 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 18 ft. The chart's best answer is Salt River inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 4 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Salt River inflow (4 ft) | |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (9 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (9 ft) | |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (15 ft) |
Spring flathead catfish on Tempe Town Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 18 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 5 to 18 ft in summer, 5 to 18 ft once it turns cold. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 15 ft that grades prime for fall. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (9 ft) | |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (15 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (15 ft) | |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 45 ft | midday | Deep basin (15 ft) |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 5 to 18 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 18 ft. Put Old creek channel first on the milk run — a creek channel near 9 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Old creek channel (9 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Old creek channel (9 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (15 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 5 to 18 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 3 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (8 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (15 ft) | Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, common carp slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 3 to 15 ft game here, winter a 5 to 18 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Old creek channel (9 ft) | |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 30 ft | midday | Deep basin (15 ft) |
Tempe Town Lake also holds tilapia (2 to 10 ft in summer), green sunfish (2 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
9 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 15 ft, is the deepest of them.
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 Arizona waters are set by the Arizona Game & Fish Department — and special regulations can apply to Tempe Town Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Arizona fishing regulations →
Tempe Town Lake is about 18 ft (5 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 largemouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, crappie, bluegill, common carp, tilapia, green sunfish on Tempe Town Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
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.
Fishing on Tempe Town Lake is regulated by the Arizona Game & Fish Department. Check the official Arizona regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Kiwanis Park Lake 4 mi · Alvord Lake 13 mi · Red Mountain Lake 15 mi · Desert West Lake 15 mi · Veterans Oasis Lake 16 mi · Gilbert Regional Park Pond 17 mi · Pioneer Lake 20 mi · Lower Salt River 20 mi · Verde River (Lower) 23 mi · Saguaro Lake 27 mi · Copper Sky Lake 28 mi · Surprise Lake 29 mi
See how Tempe Town Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Arizona · best tilapia lakes in Arizona · best crappie lakes in Arizona · best bluegill lakes in Arizona
More water nearby: Maricopa County fishing maps (16 charts). Browse all Arizona fishing maps. 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.