Deep Creek Lake fishing: Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout
Target species: Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Chain Pickerel
Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Sep for Walleye
Second window: May, Jun, Jul, Sep for Northern Pike
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Deep Creek Lake State Park boat ramp, 4 lanes.
The reservoir
Deep Creek Lake covers 3,883 acres in Maryland, across Garrett County. It is a reservoir: 90.8% of it is 40 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is 69.6 feet (21.2 m). Our records hold 9 species for this water.
Depth: down to 69.6 ft at the deepest measured point
Deepest measured point: 69.6 ft (21.2 m). 90.8% of the water is 40 feet or shallower. We hold 266 depth contours for this water, drawn from 156,584 soundings.
- 0–5 ft: 33.6% of the water
- 5–10 ft: 10.7% of the water
- 10–15 ft: 9.8% of the water
- 15–20 ft: 9.4% of the water
- 20–25 ft: 8.5% of the water
- 25–30 ft: 7.3% of the water
- 30–35 ft: 6.1% of the water
- 35–40 ft: 5.4% of the water
- 40–45 ft: 5.1% of the water
- 45–50 ft: 2.3% of the water
- 50–55 ft: 1.4% of the water
- 55–60 ft: 0.3% of the water
4 target fish, led by Walleye
- Walleye — Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Sep.
- Northern Pike — Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Sep.
- Rainbow Trout — Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct.
- Chain Pickerel — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
Also recorded here: Striped Bass, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Redfin Pickerel, Common Carp.
Water and conditions
Water temperature averages 53°F across the year. The coldest single reading we hold is 32°F and the warmest is 74°F; the warmest monthly average is 68°F. pH averages 7.4. These readings span 2016–2025.
Monthly average water temperature: Jan 35°F · Feb 34°F · Mar 34°F · Apr 44°F · May 58°F · Jun 63°F · Jul 68°F · Aug 68°F · Sep 60°F · Oct 55°F · Nov 38°F · Dec 37°F
Stocking: 4,000 fish in 2022
Maryland DNR Fishing & Boating Services records list 4,000 fish released into this water in 2022. The latest stocking on record is from 2022, more than three years ago.
- Rainbow Trout: 4,000 in 2022
1 ramp or launch on this water
On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp and 1 shore access point.
- Deep Creek Lake State Park boat ramp — 4 lanes, open around the clock, restrooms. Maryland Park Service. Waterfront Way, off State Park Rd., Swanton, MD 21561 · phone 301-387-5563 or 240-405-9827 · website dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/western/deepcreek.aspx
Shore access for bank fishing
- Deep Creek Lake State Park soft access — restrooms. Maryland Park Service. 898 State Park Rd., Swanton, MD 21561 · phone 301-387-5563; Toll free: 1-800-830-3974 · website dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/western/deepcreek.aspx · email [email protected]
Fee and opening hours are blank for all 2 places in this list: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.
Season by season
- Winter (Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, 34–38°F) — Steady but no peak: Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout.
- Spring (Apr, May, 44–58°F) — Biting: Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout.
- Summer (Jun, Jul, Aug, 63–68°F) — Biting: Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Chain Pickerel.
- Fall (Sep, Oct, 55–60°F) — Biting: Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Chain Pickerel.
What is hard here
Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish. Winter water drops to 34°F, and the warm-water species stop feeding well before you do.
Where this data comes from
- Maryland Geological Survey — Maryland Geological Survey: depth soundings: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
