Vernon Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (LA)

Skip to interactive depth chart

Lake depth chart

Vernon Lake, LA

Max 35 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 ~5 months

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

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 1 – Jul 31 · in ~8 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.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Vernon Lake

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 Vernon Lake on the board.

Fishing Vernon Lake: what the data says

4,200-acre lake near Anacoco. A west-central-LA reservoir on Anacoco Creek: standing timber, points and steady bass and crappie. The lake tops out around 35 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

The drawn water covers 3,992 acres wrapped in 42.6 miles of bank. An index of 4.8 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 76% of this chart, as modeled. End to end it runs roughly 5.2 mi, about 3.8 mi across. Vernon Parish claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Anacoco Lake, is 7 mi to the south.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Vernon Lake

Spring largemouth bass on Vernon Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 4 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (16 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (9 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (16 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Vernon Lake

Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 30 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (16 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Break off the point (16 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Deep basin (30 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Vernon Lake

Spring channel catfish on Vernon Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 11 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 30 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Break off the point (16 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Deep basin (30 ft)
Winter	11 to 35 ft	midday	Deep basin (30 ft)

Bluegill fishing at Vernon Lake

Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 4 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (4 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Break off the point (16 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Deep basin (30 ft)	Tiny spoon

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 9 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 30 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 30 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 16 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 9 ft
Secondary point: point, around 9 ft
Rock reef: rock pile, around 5 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 3 ft
Weed flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

Vernon Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Louisiana waters are set by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries — and special regulations can apply to Vernon Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Louisiana fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Vernon Lake?

Vernon Lake is about 35 ft (11 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 Vernon Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, bluegill on Vernon Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Vernon Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 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 Vernon 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 Vernon Lake?

Fishing on Vernon Lake is regulated by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Check the official Louisiana regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Anacoco Lake 7 mi · Toledo Bend Reservoir 37 mi, TX/LA · Sabine River 43 mi, TX · Kincaid Lake 43 mi · Lake Iatt 49 mi · Black Lake 53 mi · Sam Rayburn Reservoir 54 mi, TX · B.A. Steinhagen Lake 55 mi, TX · Saline Lake 55 mi · Grand Bayou Reservoir 56 mi · Pinkston Reservoir 68 mi, TX · Lake Chicot 70 mi

See how Vernon Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Louisiana · best crappie lakes in Louisiana · best bluegill lakes in Louisiana · best channel catfish lakes in Louisiana

Browse all Louisiana 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.