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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
661-acre lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 34 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
On the chart, Big Crooked Lake draws 661 acres inside 4.6 miles of shoreline. Its 1.3 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. About 66% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. The basin spans about 1.4 mi end to end and 1.1 mi across at its widest. You'll find it in Vilas County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Boulder Lake, 1 mi south of here.
In spring, rainbow trout run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 34 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 15 ft, rated prime for winter rainbow trout. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (15 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 34 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 7 to 34 ft | dawn | Break off the point (15 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
When the water first warms, walleye slide up into 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 34 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 34 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 15 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Keep a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (9 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 10 to 34 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (15 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 34 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (15 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 10 to 34 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (29 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 10 to 34 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Deep basin (29 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 10 to 34 ft | midday | Deep basin (29 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 10 to 34 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (29 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring puts muskellunge in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 25 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 34 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 15 ft, rated prime for fall muskellunge. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. A double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Break off the point (15 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 10 to 34 ft | midday | Deep basin (29 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: smallmouth bass in 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 10 to 34 ft for winter. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (15 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 10 to 34 ft | midday | Break off the point (15 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 34 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 4 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (15 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 10 to 34 ft | midday | Break off the point (15 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Big Crooked Lake also holds crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 6 structure features on Big Crooked Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 29 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Wisconsin waters are set by the Wisconsin DNR — and special regulations can apply to Big Crooked Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Big Crooked Lake is about 34 ft (10 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target rainbow trout, walleye, yellow perch, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed on Big Crooked Lake. These come from the Wisconsin DNR's per-lake fish listing; where the DNR lists a group (panfish, catfish, trout) the specific species are resolved from Wisconsin's fish distribution by the lake's location, depth and habitat.
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For rainbow trout, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Big Crooked Lake is regulated by the Wisconsin DNR. Check the official Wisconsin regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Boulder Lake 1 mi · Little Crooked Lake 1 mi · Wolf Lake 1 mi · Wool Lake 2 mi · Bear Lake 2 mi · Little Rice Lake 2 mi · Elizabeth Lake 3 mi · Nichols Lake 3 mi · Grassy Lake 3 mi · Maple Lake 3 mi · Round Lake 3 mi · Flora Lake 3 mi
See how Big Crooked Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best smallmouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best walleye lakes in Wisconsin · best crappie lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Vilas County fishing maps (507 charts). Browse all Wisconsin fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.