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Fishing Wright Patman Lake: what the data says
18,994-acre reservoir near Texarkana. The lake tops out around 31 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Wright Patman Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Wright Patman Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 9 to 31 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 9 to 31 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
White Bass fishing at Wright Patman Lake
In spring, white bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 9 to 31 ft. The spot to know is Brooks Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for white bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Winter | 9 to 31 ft | midday | see map |
Crappie fishing at Wright Patman Lake
Spring crappie on Wright Patman Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 9 to 31 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 21 ft that scores prime in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 9 to 31 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Blue Catfish fishing at Wright Patman Lake
Spring blue catfish on Wright Patman Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 8 to 31 ft in summer and finish the year down in 9 to 31 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 21 ft of water that rates prime for blue catfish in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 31 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 9 to 31 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 9 to 31 ft | midday |
Channel Catfish fishing at Wright Patman Lake
Spring channel catfish on Wright Patman Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 9 to 31 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 21 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 9 to 31 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Wright Patman Lake
Start shallow in spring: flathead catfish sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 9 to 31 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 21 ft, rated prime for fall flathead catfish. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 9 to 31 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 9 to 31 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 21 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 19 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 7 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 4 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 3 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Brooks Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 2 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Wright Patman Lake?
Wright Patman Lake is about 31 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Wright Patman Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish on Wright Patman Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Wright Patman Lake?
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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Wright Patman 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.
Nearby waters
Lake O' the Pines · Welsh Reservoir · Caddo Lake · Lake Bob Sandlin · Martin Creek Lake · Lake Murvaul
See how Wright Patman Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Texas · best white bass lakes in Texas · best crappie lakes in Texas · best channel catfish lakes in Texas
Browse all Texas fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.