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Fishing Big Crooked Lake: what the data says
661-acre lake near Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 34 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Rainbow Trout fishing at Big Crooked Lake
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 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 winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 34 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 7 to 34 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Walleye fishing at Big Crooked Lake
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 10 to 34 ft in summer and finish the year down 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. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 10 to 34 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 34 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 10 to 34 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Yellow Perch fishing at Big Crooked Lake
Spring yellow perch on Big Crooked Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 34 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 10 to 34 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 10 to 34 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Muskellunge fishing at Big Crooked Lake
Start shallow in spring: muskellunge sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 34 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for muskellunge in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Tie on a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 10 to 34 ft | midday | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Big Crooked Lake
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 34 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 9 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 10 to 34 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Big Crooked Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 34 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 10 to 34 ft | midday | 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.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 29 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 15 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 9 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 9 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Common questions
How deep is Big Crooked Lake?
Big Crooked Lake is about 34 ft 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.
What fish are in Big Crooked Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, rainbow trout, muskellunge, yellow perch, 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.
Where is the best fishing spot on Big Crooked Lake?
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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Big Crooked Lake?
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.
Nearby waters
Boulder Lake · Wolf Lake · Little Crooked Lake · Bear Lake · Wool Lake · Nichols Lake
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
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