Walleye fishing at Bartons Lake

Spring walleye on Bartons Lake hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 6 to 21 ft, and winter fish settle into 6 to 21 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 9 ft that scores prime in fall. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.

Yellow Perch fishing at Bartons Lake

Spring yellow perch on Bartons Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 6 to 21 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 21 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.

Northern Pike fishing at Bartons Lake

Spring northern pike on Bartons Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.

Smallmouth Bass fishing at Bartons Lake

In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 6 to 21 ft, and winter fish settle into 6 to 21 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Bartons Lake

Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 21 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.

Rock Bass fishing at Bartons Lake

Spring rock bass on Bartons Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 5 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 21 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for summer rock bass. Best bite is the evening. Tie on a ned rig (small) or a marabou jig and you're in the game.

How deep is Bartons Lake?

Bartons Lake is about 21 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 Bartons Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, freshwater drum, rock bass, white perch, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Bartons Lake. This isn't a survey of the lake — none is on record for it — but an informed estimate from the species listed for the nearest surveyed lakes in the region, filtered to this lake's depth and habitat.

Where is the best fishing spot on Bartons Lake?

Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Bartons Lake?

For walleye, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.