Lake Jacksonville fishing: Largemouth Bass, Redbreast, Blue Catfish

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Redbreast, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, Black Crappie, White Crappie, Sunshine Bass

The lake

Lake Jacksonville covers 1,199 acres in Texas, across Cherokee County. It is a lake: 90.4% of it is 42 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is 54.4 feet (16.6 m). Our records hold 10 species for this water.

7 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Redbreast — Feeding water: 65–80°F.
  • Blue Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Black Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • White Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Sunshine Bass — Feeding water: 70–80°F. Nonnative.

Also recorded here: White Bass, Grass Carp, Threadfin Shad.

Depth: down to 54.4 ft at the deepest measured point

Deepest measured point: 54.4 ft (16.6 m). 90.4% of the water is 42 feet or shallower. We hold 96 depth contours for this water, drawn from 21,194 soundings.

Aerial imagery: USDA NAIP 2022
USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP 2022 aerial imagery (USGS The National Map) · Public domain
  • 0–3 ft: 9.6% of the water
  • 3–6 ft: 14% of the water
  • 6–9 ft: 9% of the water
  • 9–12 ft: 7.1% of the water
  • 12–15 ft: 6.9% of the water
  • 15–18 ft: 7.1% of the water
  • 18–21 ft: 6.8% of the water
  • 21–24 ft: 6.6% of the water
  • 24–27 ft: 5.3% of the water
  • 27–30 ft: 4.8% of the water
  • 30–33 ft: 3.9% of the water
  • 33–36 ft: 3.9% of the water
  • 36–39 ft: 3.1% of the water
  • 39–42 ft: 2.3% of the water
  • 42–45 ft: 2.2% of the water
  • 45–48 ft: 2.8% of the water
  • 48–51 ft: 3.2% of the water
  • 51–53 ft: 1.3% of the water

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 4.6–11.5 feet on our readings, averaging 7.8 feet, from 41 readings. Our water temperature readings average 79°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 7. These readings span 2016–2026.

Stocking: 2,895,521 fish, 1974–2020

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department records list 2,895,521 fish released into this water from 1974 to 2020. The latest stocking on record is from 2020, more than three years ago.

  • Black Crappie: 279,396 in 1968–1992
  • White Crappie: 180,143 in 1988
  • Channel Catfish: 52,806 in 1967–1994
  • Threadfin Shad: 39,900 in 2011
  • Largemouth Bass: 28,000 in 1973–1974
  • Blue Catfish: 8,149 in 1975–1987
  • Grass Carp: 3,890 in 2006–2007

3 more species on the stocking list.

Where this data comes from

  • Texas Water Development Board — Texas Water Development Board: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom, 2006.
  • EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • 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.