Trace State Park Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (MS)

Skip to interactive depth chart

Lake depth chart

Trace State Park Lake, MS

Max 40 ft

Today's read

Where to start

Fall shad migration window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Fall shad migrationActive window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Dec 15 · upper ends and stained creeks turn on first, the main lake follows; Deep-South creeks hold bait into December

adultall day, best mid-afternoon as the sun warms the bait — the rare pattern where you can sleep in — follow the bait, not the structure: gulls, herons and egrets diving or stacked in a creek mean the shad (and the bass) are there — run and gun until you find flickering bait or surface activity

Concentrates hard but unevenly — whole stretches go empty while one creek loads up. The birds are the map.

Creek-arm run-and-gun: lipless crankbait and squarebill through the flats and ditches, walking topwater over surface schools, a 3/8 oz spinnerbait around isolated cover along the creek channel. Downsize to match the young-of-year shad; jerkbaits are the sleeper.

The event happens over backs of creek arms, pockets and ditches, secondary points on the way in, and main-lake flats where the bait balls roam

Willow fly (summer mayfly)Active window

Typical here: Apr 1 – Oct 31 · recurring broods all summer — the heart of it is June–July, famously around July 4th on the Tennessee River lakes; any one hatch lasts days to ~3 weeks

dunhatches at dusk — clouds of bugs just before dark, continuing into the night — after hatching they fly to shoreline foliage — trees near lighted docks get covered; the feeding zone is the water under bug-loaded overhanging bushes and willows
spinnerthe following days: mating, egg drop and spent flies falling from the overhangs — the bream bite under the bushes runs as long as the bugs do

A two-level event: bream stack under the bug trees, and the big bass stack under the bream. Fish the same bushes twice — small for bream, big for the bass just outside them.

Crickets or small poppers under a float tight to the bug-covered bushes for bream; beetle spins and hair jigs just under the surface; for the bass, run a bluegill-pattern topwater or squarebill down the outside edge of the overhangs.

The event happens over under and just outside overhanging willows and bushes on steep banks; trees near lighted docks after dark

Next on this water

Spring crawfish emergence · forageFeb 15 – May 15 · in ~4 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~5 months

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 1 – Jul 31 · in ~7 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Depth · ft

Loading bounded depth chart…

Recent catches at Trace State Park Lake

Recent public catches load as you reach this section.

Fishing Trace State Park Lake: what the data says

565-acre lake near Pontotoc. The lake tops out around 40 ft. The depth chart comes from Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.

The drawn outline gives you 13.2 miles of bank to pick apart. A development index of 4.6 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 77% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Tip to tip the water measures near 1.9 mi with a 1.3-mi widest point. You'll find it in Pontotoc County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Elvis Presley Lake, 14 mi east of here.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Trace State Park Lake

Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	open water	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at Trace State Park Lake

Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 15 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 25 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	open water	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	open water	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	open water	Tiny spoon

Crappie fishing at Trace State Park Lake

In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 25 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	open water	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	open water	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	open water	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Trace State Park Lake

Spring puts channel catfish in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 25 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 40 ft. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	open water
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	open water
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	open water
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	open water

Flathead Catfish fishing at Trace State Park Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: flathead catfish in 5 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 30 ft before dropping to 12 to 40 ft for winter. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.

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
Spring	5 to 20 ft	night & dusk	open water
Summer	8 to 30 ft	night & dusk	open water
Fall	10 to 35 ft	night & dusk	open water
Winter	12 to 40 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 45 ft	midday	open water

White Bass fishing at Trace State Park Lake

Come spring, look for white bass tight to the bank in 2 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 40 ft. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank
Summer	8 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish)
Fall	6 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Jigging spoon, Blade bait
Winter	15 to 40 ft	midday	open water	Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait

Trace State Park Lake also holds striped bass (12 to 40 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.

Notable structure

7 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 34 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 34 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 26 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft

Trace State Park Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Mississippi waters are set by the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks — and special regulations can apply to Trace State Park Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Mississippi fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Trace State Park Lake?

Trace State Park Lake is about 40 ft (12 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Trace State Park Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish, white bass, striped bass on Trace State Park Lake. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.

When is the best time to fish Trace State Park 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 Trace State Park Lake?

Fishing on Trace State Park Lake is regulated by the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks. Check the official Mississippi regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Elvis Presley Lake 14 mi · Davis Lake 14 mi · Denmark Lake 26 mi · Cypress Lake 27 mi · Lake Monroe 28 mi · Puskus Lake 29 mi · Mill Lake 31 mi · Wood Duck Lake 32 mi · Brents Lake 32 mi · Buck Rucker Lake 33 mi · North Chilli Lake 34 mi · Mt.Olive Lake 35 mi

See how Trace State Park Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Mississippi · best white bass lakes in Mississippi · best crappie lakes in Mississippi · best bluegill lakes in Mississippi

Browse all Mississippi fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. 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.