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Best crappie lakes in Wisconsin

43 Wisconsin waters hold crappie, 7 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Schooling panfish that suspends around timber, brush and creek channels.

1. Lake Winnebago — 21 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
2. Lake Butte des Morts — 8 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Channel Catfish
3. Petenwell Flowage — 44 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
4. Lake Wisconsin — 24 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger
5. Lake Mendota — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
6. Chippewa Flowage — 92 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
7. Turtle-Flambeau Flowage — 50 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
8. Castle Rock Flowage — 35 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
9. Big Eau Pleine Reservoir — 46 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
10. Big Green Lake — 236 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
11. Lake Poygan — 11 ft max · Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
12. Lake Koshkonong — 7 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
13. Willow Flowage — 30 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
14. Lac Courte Oreilles — 90 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
15. Geneva Lake — 135 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
16. Shawano Lake — 39.5 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
17. Delavan Lake — 52 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
18. Tomahawk Lake — 84 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
19. Lake Puckaway — 5 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
20. Big Muskellunge Lake — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
21. Wolf River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Channel Catfish
22. Two Sisters Lake — 63 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
23. Lake Monona — 74 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
24. Flambeau River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Muskellunge
25. Pelican Lake — 39 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie

…plus 18 more Wisconsin waters holding crappie.

When to fish crappie in Wisconsin

• Spring 2–8 ft — The famous spring bite: brush, timber and docks in protected shallow pockets.
• Summer 10–25 ft — Find suspended schools over channel-edge brush piles and deep timber.
• Fall 8–20 ft — Schools follow shad into creeks; fish channel bends with cover.
• Winter 15–35 ft — Tight schools in deep holes and channel bends; slow presentations.

Also in Wisconsin: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best sauger lakes · best northern pike lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes

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