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Fishing Thayer Old City Lake: what the data says
43-acre lake near Thayer. Public southeast Kansas city lake with KBS surveyed bathymetric contours. The lake tops out around 25 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. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Thayer Old City Lake's chart carries 1.8 miles of bank. A development index of 2.5 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. Roughly 74% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Thayer Old City Lake
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 8 to 25 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 2 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Back-bay flat (8 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Thayer Old City Lake
Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 8 to 25 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 22 ft, prime for winter. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Back-bay flat (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (22 ft) | |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | dusk | Deep basin (22 ft) | |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) |
Crappie fishing at Thayer Old City Lake
Spring crappie on Thayer Old City Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 22 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (22 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Back-bay flat (8 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Thayer Old City Lake
Spring bluegill on Thayer Old City Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 2 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Back-bay flat (8 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Back-bay flat (8 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 22 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 8 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Thayer Old City Lake fishing regulations
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Kansas waters are set by the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks — and special regulations can apply to Thayer Old City Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Kansas fishing regulations →
Common questions
How deep is Thayer Old City Lake?
Thayer Old City Lake is about 25 ft (8 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Thayer Old City Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish on Thayer Old City Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Thayer Old City Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Thayer Old City Lake?
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.
What are the fishing regulations for Thayer Old City Lake?
Fishing on Thayer Old City Lake is regulated by the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks. Check the official Kansas regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Nearby waters
Thayer New City Lake 1 mi · Parsons Lake 9 mi · Big Hill Lake 13 mi · Verdigris River 17 mi · Wilson County State Fishing Lake 18 mi · Elk City Lake 24 mi · Woodson County State Fishing Lake 29 mi · New Yates Center Lake 30 mi · Yates Center Reservoir 30 mi · Toronto Lake 32 mi · Fall River Lake 35 mi · Severy City Lake 39 mi
See how Thayer Old City Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Kansas · best crappie lakes in Kansas · best bluegill lakes in Kansas · best channel catfish lakes in Kansas
Browse all Kansas fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.