Ullswater Depth Map & Fishing Spots (UK)

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Lake depth chart

Ullswater, UK

Max 205 ft

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Where to start

Sedge season & the Murrough window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Sedge season & the MurroughActive window

Typical here: Jun 1 – Sep 30 · the Murrough and Green Peter are lough patterns from July, peaking the last weeks of August; evening sedge fishing runs to the season close

pupawarm summer evenings as the light fades
adultlate evening into dark, on calm water — the great red sedge is large enough to provoke explosive surface takes from big trout — fished dry off the shorelines and on the drift

Big-fish-on-top fishing in the last two hours of light — the sedge weeks of late August produce some of the best days of the lough year.

The evening sedge pulls big trout to the shorelines in low light — exactly when small surface plugs and slow-twitched 4–5cm minnowbaits shine along the rocky shores and weed edges; or run a bubble float with a dry Murrough behind it, twitched on the pause.

The event happens over lough shorelines, rocky shallows and weed edges on warm, calm summer evenings

Daddy-Long-Legs (crane fly)Active window

Typical here: Jul 1 – Oct 15 · dapped daddies documented from early July on Corrib; the famous window is mid-August through September, with grasshopper dapping in the same weeks

adultdaytime, on a drift with a wave — best on the breezy days that blow craneflies off the banks — the documented method is dapping: a natural or artificial daddy on a long rod and floss line, skipping across the surface ahead of the drifting boat; a dry daddy on the drift is the modern equivalent

The autumn wake-up: big trout that ignored everything through June and July suddenly become aggressive — often the largest browns of the season on a dry fly.

Fish the windward drifts where the terrestrials land — surface plugs twitched on a wave, or a bubble float trailing a daddy skipped on the surface (dapping with spin gear, effectively). The late-season big-fish window before the September close.

The event happens over windward shorelines, island shallows and drift lines on breezy August–September days

Next on this water

Buzzers & Duckfly (chironomids) · midgeMar 15 – Jun 30 · in ~6 months

Spring roach spawn (predator event) · baitfishApr 15 – Jun 15 · in ~7 months

Hawthorn Fly · terrestrialsApr 18 – May 15 · in ~7 months

The Mayfly (Ephemera danica) · mayflyApr 25 – Jul 5 · 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

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Recent catches at Ullswater

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Fishing Ullswater: what the data says

2,143-acre lake near Cumbria. The lake tops out around 205 ft. The depth chart comes from British Library bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

Ullswater maps at 2,138 acres behind 18.3 miles of shoreline. A development index of 2.8 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. Roughly 28% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 6.9 mi long by 1.7 mi wide at the broadest reach. It sits in Cumbria. If the bite dies, Brothers Water is 5 mi to the south.

Brown Trout fishing at Ullswater

Spring puts brown trout in skinny water — 3 to 25 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 25 to 60 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 35 ft. Plan around after dark and early morning in the warm months. A spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	25 to 60 ft	night & dawn	open water	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	5 to 30 ft	dusk & dawn	open water	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	5 to 35 ft	dawn	open water	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

European Perch fishing at Ullswater

Early season european perch use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 28 ft game here, winter a 12 to 33 ft one. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small crankbait (perch pattern) and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner #1-2
Summer	8 to 28 ft	dawn	open water	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small crankbait (perch pattern)
Fall	10 to 33 ft	midday	open water	Jigging spoon (small), Drop-shot on deep flats
Winter	12 to 33 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Tungsten jig + maggots, Small balance jig

Northern Pike fishing at Ullswater

Come spring, look for northern pike tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	open water	#5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white)
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait
Winter	5 to 15 ft	midday	open water	Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon

Arctic Char fishing at Ullswater

The spring pattern is a shallow one: arctic char in 4 to 15 ft. As the season builds they drop to 20 to 60 ft, wintering in 10 to 40 ft. Time it for early morning. Summer baits: a jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt) gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small)
Summer	20 to 60 ft	dawn	open water	Jigging spoon vertical, Tube jig (smelt)
Fall	8 to 30 ft	midday & dusk	open water	Casting spoon (orange/gold), Beadhead streamer
Winter	10 to 40 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + plastic

Notable structure

Ullswater carries 7 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 204 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 204 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 38 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 18 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 1 ft
Secondary point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 1 ft

Common questions

How deep is Ullswater?

Ullswater is about 205 ft (62 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from British Library bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Ullswater?

Anglers target brown trout, european perch, northern pike, arctic char on Ullswater. 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 Ullswater?

For brown trout, the summer bite is best in after dark 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.

Nearby waters

Brothers Water 5 mi · Haweswater Reservoir 6 mi · Red Tarn, Helvellyn 6 mi · Grisedale Tarn 7 mi · Thirlmere 7 mi · Bowscale Tarn 9 mi · Blea Tarn 9 mi · Dock Tarn 10 mi · Grasmere 10 mi · Derwent Water 10 mi · Elter Water or Elterwater 12 mi · Blelham Tarn 13 mi

See how Ullswater stacks up: best northern pike lakes in United Kingdom · best european perch lakes in United Kingdom · best brown trout lakes in United Kingdom · best arctic char lakes in United Kingdom

More water nearby: Cumbria fishing maps (32 charts). Browse all United Kingdom 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.