Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

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Lake depth chart

Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir, TX

Max 42 ft

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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 ~5 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~6 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir on the board.

Fishing Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir: what the data says

2,010-acre reservoir near Waco. Warm power-plant lake east of Waco. The lake tops out around 42 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

Drawn out, this is 1,743 acres of water rimmed by 19 miles of bank. With a shoreline index of 3.2, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Roughly 75% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 3.5 mi end to end and 2.1 mi across at its widest. The water lies in McLennan County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Lake Waco, 17 mi west of here.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir

In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (5 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (19 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (11 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (19 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

White Bass fishing at Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir

When the water first warms, white bass slide up into 2 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 15 to 40 ft one. Start at Riggs Creek inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Riggs Creek inflow (4 ft)	Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank
Summer	8 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (11 ft)	Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish)
Fall	6 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (11 ft)	Jigging spoon, Blade bait
Winter	15 to 40 ft	midday	Deep basin (36 ft)	Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait

Crappie fishing at Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir

Spring puts crappie in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 25 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Winter crappie concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 36 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (5 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Old creek channel (21 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Old creek channel (21 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Deep basin (36 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir

In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Riggs Creek inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. Time it for after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Riggs Creek inflow (4 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Old creek channel (21 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (21 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Deep basin (36 ft)

Notable structure

8 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 36 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 36 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 21 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 19 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 11 ft
Secondary point: point, around 11 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
Riggs Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft

Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
2026*	Lone Star Bass (fingerling)	24,502	—
2025*	Lone Star Bass (fry)	178,126	—

* Approximate date (agency reports month or season only). Source: TPWD stocking history, retrieved 2026-09-03.

Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Texas waters are set by the Texas Parks & Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir?

Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir is about 42 ft (13 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.

What fish are in Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir?

Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, channel catfish on Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir.

Where is the best fishing spot on Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir?

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.

Is Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir stocked with fish?

Yes — per TPWD stocking history records, Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir was most recently stocked 2026 with 24,502 lone star bass (fingerling). The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir?

Fishing on Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir is regulated by the Texas Parks & Wildlife. Check the official Texas regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Lake Waco 17 mi · Lake Mexia 22 mi · Fort Parker Lake 24 mi · Aquilla Lake 29 mi · Navarro Mills Lake 30 mi · Lake Limestone 37 mi · Lake Whitney 40 mi · Belton Lake 42 mi · Lake Halbert 47 mi · Meridian State Park Lake 49 mi · Richland-Chambers Reservoir 51 mi · Bardwell Lake 53 mi

See how Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best white bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas · best channel catfish lakes in Texas

Browse all Texas 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.