Welsh Reservoir Depth Map & Fishing Spots (TX)

Skip to interactive depth chart

Lake depth chart

Welsh Reservoir, TX

Max 44 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 ~6 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 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.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Welsh 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 Welsh Reservoir on the board.

Fishing Welsh Reservoir: what the data says

1,269-acre reservoir near Mount Pleasant. The lake tops out around 44 ft. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.

The outline encloses 1,151 acres, worked by 23.5 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 4.9, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 43% of this chart. The basin spans about 4.1 mi end to end and 1.4 mi across at its widest. Titus County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Ellison Creek Reservoir, is 11 mi to the southeast.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Welsh Reservoir

Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 2 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (14 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (14 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (24 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Welsh Reservoir

Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 40 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 41 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Back-bay flat (3 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Shallow feeding flat (18 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Shallow feeding flat (18 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Deep basin (41 ft)

Bluegill fishing at Welsh Reservoir

Spring bluegill on Welsh Reservoir hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 25 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 2 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Back-bay flat (3 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Shallow feeding flat (18 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	Break off the point (24 ft)	Tiny spoon

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 7 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 41 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 41 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 24 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 18 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 14 ft
Secondary point: point, around 10 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

Welsh Reservoir stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
2025*	Lone Star Bass (fingerling)	34,737	—

* Approximate date (agency reports month or season only). Source: TPWD stocking history, retrieved 2026-08-18.

Welsh 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 Welsh Reservoir specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Texas fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Welsh Reservoir?

Welsh Reservoir is about 44 ft (13 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from Texas Water Development Board bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Welsh Reservoir?

Anglers target largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill on Welsh Reservoir.

Where is the best fishing spot on Welsh Reservoir?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

When is the best time to fish Welsh 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 Welsh Reservoir stocked with fish?

Yes — per TPWD stocking history records, Welsh Reservoir was most recently stocked 2025 with 34,737 lone star bass (fingerling). The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Welsh Reservoir?

Fishing on Welsh 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

Ellison Creek Reservoir 11 mi · Lake Bob Sandlin 14 mi · Lake Cypress Springs 21 mi · Lake O' the Pines 22 mi · Lake Gilmer 24 mi · Lake Winnsboro 32 mi · Wright Patman Lake 33 mi · Lake Gladewater 35 mi · Lake Quitman 38 mi · Lake Hawkins 39 mi · Lake Sulphur Springs 47 mi · Brandy Branch Reservoir 48 mi

See how Welsh Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best bluegill lakes in Texas · best channel catfish lakes in Texas

Browse all Texas fishing maps or 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.