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3,590-acre lake near Cumbria. The lake tops out around 210 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 the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
Drawn out, this is 3,582 acres of water rimmed by 29.7 miles of bank. With a shoreline index of 3.5, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 13% of the surface on the model — that's where the groceries are. Tip to tip the water measures near 10.6 mi with a 2.5-mi widest point. The water lies in Cumbria. The nearest mapped water is Esthwaite Water, 2 mi to the northwest.
Early season brown trout use the shallows, holding in 3 to 25 ft. Summer is a 25 to 60 ft game here, winter a 5 to 35 ft one. The chart's best answer is Sharp break — drop-off, 21 ft, prime for winter. Best bite is after dark and early morning. Tie on a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (12 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Sharp break (21 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (12 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Sharp break (21 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Spring puts european perch in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 28 ft; cold water stacks them in 12 to 33 ft. Sharp break is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 21 ft, rated prime for summer european perch. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small crankbait (perch pattern) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner #1-2 |
| Summer | 8 to 28 ft | dawn | Sharp break (21 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small crankbait (perch pattern) |
| Fall | 10 to 33 ft | midday | Sharp break (21 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Drop-shot on deep flats |
| Winter | 12 to 33 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (15 ft) | Tungsten jig + maggots, Small balance jig |
Spring puts northern pike in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 5 to 15 ft. Spring northern pike concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated feeding flat around 6 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (21 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (12 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, arctic char slide up into 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 20 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rock reef: a rock pile around 12 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rock reef (12 ft) | Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small) |
| Summer | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Sharp break (21 ft) | Jigging spoon vertical, Tube jig (smelt) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Rock reef (12 ft) | Casting spoon (orange/gold), Beadhead streamer |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (15 ft) | Jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + plastic |
Count 11 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 179 ft.
Windermere is about 210 ft (64 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.
Anglers target brown trout, european perch, northern pike, arctic char on Windermere. 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.
Sharp break is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 21 ft of water that rates prime for european perch in summer. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
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.
Esthwaite Water 2 mi · Blelham Tarn 4 mi · Coniston Water 5 mi · Elter Water or Elterwater 7 mi · Grasmere 8 mi · Grisedale Tarn 11 mi · Whinfell Tarn 11 mi · Brothers Water 11 mi · Hawes Water, Silverdale 13 mi · Red Tarn, Helvellyn 13 mi · Haweswater Reservoir 13 mi · Blea Tarn 13 mi
See how Windermere 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. 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.