Lake Kemp fishing: Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Blue Catfish
Target species: Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Blue Catfish, White Bass, Channel Catfish, Bluegill
The reservoir
Lake Kemp covers 15,074 acres in Texas, across Baylor County. It is a reservoir: 91.9% of it is 42 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 62.1 feet (18.9 m); at the dam, USGS RESSED gives 85 feet (25.9 m) at full pool. Our records hold 8 species for this water.
Depth and bottom
Deepest measured point: at least 62.1 ft (18.9 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. USGS RESSED gives 85 ft (25.9 m) at the dam at full pool: a measured figure, not a survey map. 91.9% of the water is 42 feet or shallower. We hold 291 depth contour lines for this water.
- 0–3 ft: 13.1% of the water
- 3–6 ft: 20.8% of the water
- 6–9 ft: 16.4% of the water
- 9–12 ft: 5.8% of the water
- 12–15 ft: 4.7% of the water
- 15–18 ft: 4.9% of the water
- 18–21 ft: 4.1% of the water
- 21–24 ft: 3.7% of the water
- 24–27 ft: 3.7% of the water
- 27–30 ft: 2.5% of the water
- 30–33 ft: 2.5% of the water
- 33–36 ft: 2.7% of the water
- 36–39 ft: 3.4% of the water
- 39–42 ft: 3.6% of the water
- 42–45 ft: 2.1% of the water
- 45–48 ft: 2% of the water
- 48–51 ft: 1.9% of the water
- 51–54 ft: 1.4% of the water
- 54–55 ft: 0.7% of the water
6 target fish, led by Striped Bass
- Striped Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
- Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
- Blue Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
- White Bass — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
- Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
- Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
Also recorded here: Redbreast, Threadfin Shad.
Stocking: 14,749,624 fish, 1971–2026
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department records list 14,749,624 fish released into this water from 1971 to 2026.
- Striped Bass: 11,794,912 in 1988–2026
- Blue Catfish: 736,887 in 1989–2022
- Channel Catfish: 655,281 in 1967–2021
- Largemouth Bass: 142,500 in 1967–1971
- Threadfin Shad: 725 in 1999
- White Bass: 599 in 2026
3 more species on the stocking list.
Water and conditions
Our water temperature readings average 76°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. These readings span 2018–2020. The latest reading is from 2020, more than three years ago: read these numbers as history, not as the water today.
What is hard here
Wind is the limit, not the fish: 15,074 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle.
Where this data comes from
- Texas Water Development Board — Texas Water Development Board: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- USGS RESSED — USGS RESSED reservoir sedimentation database: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
- USACE CWMS — USACE CWMS elevation-area curves: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
- 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.
