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57,328-acre lake near Klamath Falls. Oregon's largest lake by area, with a broad shallow basin, a deep western trench, a federal GPS/echosounder survey, and native redband trout alongside yellow perch and kokanee. The lake tops out around 55 ft. The depth chart comes from U.S. Geological Survey 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.
Drawn out, this is 59,326 acres of water rimmed by 101 miles of bank, broken up by 11 islands. An index of 3 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. 96% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 22.5 mi, about 9.1 mi across. For a second option, Agency Lake lies 11 mi north.
In spring, rainbow trout run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 40 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for summer rainbow trout. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (5 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Old creek channel (7 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Old creek channel (7 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Deep basin (34 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Weed flat. It's a weed flat holding about 7 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Weed flat (7 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Deep basin (34 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (34 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (34 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring puts kokanee in skinny water — 10 to 30 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 17 to 55 ft, wintering in 14 to 55 ft. Summer kokanee concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 34 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn covers the summer program.
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 | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Deep basin (34 ft) | Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn |
| Summer | 17 to 55 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | dawn | Deep basin (34 ft) | Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn |
| Fall | 5 to 40 ft | dawn | Deep basin (34 ft) | Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon |
| Winter | 14 to 55 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Deep basin (34 ft) | Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon |
Spring pumpkinseed on Upper Klamath Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 8 ft. They move out to 2 to 10 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 18 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 1 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run the evening and early morning. The summer box starts with a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Back-bay flat (2 ft) | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Weed flat (7 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 18 ft | dawn | Weed flat (7 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Spring puts brown bullhead in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 12 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 25 ft. Back-bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring brown bullhead. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | Back-bay flat (2 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Weed flat (7 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (7 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Old creek channel (7 ft) |
Upper Klamath Lake carries 19 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 34 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Oregon waters are set by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Upper Klamath Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Oregon fishing regulations →
Upper Klamath Lake is about 55 ft (17 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from U.S. Geological Survey bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.
Anglers target rainbow trout, yellow perch, kokanee, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Upper Klamath Lake.
Weed flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For rainbow trout, 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 Upper Klamath Lake is regulated by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Check the official Oregon regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Agency Lake 11 mi · Lake of the Woods 14 mi · Fourmile Lake 17 mi · Fish Lake 20 mi · Howard Prairie Lake 25 mi · Crater Lake 41 mi · Gerber Reservoir 45 mi · Squaw Lakes 59 mi · Miller Lake 60 mi · Klamath River 73 mi, CA · Crescent Lake 77 mi · Rogue River 78 mi
See how Upper Klamath Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Oregon · best yellow perch lakes in Oregon
Browse all Oregon fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: U.S. Geological Survey. 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.