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77-acre lake near Hamilton County. Iowa DNR survey water. The lake tops out around 26 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
The outline encloses 77 acres, worked by 1.5 miles of shoreline. Nearly circular (index 1.2), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 67% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. End to end it runs roughly 0.6 mi, about 0.3 mi across. Hamilton County claims this one. If the bite dies, Brushy Creek Lake is 10 mi to the west.
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 8 to 26 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 10 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Secondary point (5 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 26 ft | midday | Break off the point (8 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring bluegill on Briggs Woods Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 25 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 26 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (26 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Spring crappie on Briggs Woods Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 26 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 26 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 8 to 26 ft | midday | Deep basin (26 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring puts yellow perch in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 26 ft, wintering in 8 to 26 ft. Spring yellow perch concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 10 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 8 to 26 ft | dawn | Deep basin (26 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 8 to 26 ft | midday | Deep basin (26 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 8 to 26 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (26 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 8 to 26 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 26 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (10 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (26 ft) | |
| Fall | 8 to 26 ft | dusk | Deep basin (26 ft) | |
| Winter | 8 to 26 ft | midday | Deep basin (26 ft) |
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 26 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 26 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. Throw a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Secondary point (5 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 8 to 26 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (8 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 26 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (8 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 8 to 26 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (26 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Briggs Woods Lake also holds smallmouth bass (8 to 26 ft in summer), white bass (8 to 25 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 5 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 26 ft.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Iowa waters are set by the Iowa DNR — and special regulations can apply to Briggs Woods Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Iowa fishing regulations →
Briggs Woods Lake is about 26 ft (8 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, walleye, smallmouth bass, white bass on Briggs Woods Lake. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For largemouth bass, 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 Briggs Woods Lake is regulated by the Iowa DNR. Check the official Iowa regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Brushy Creek Lake 10 mi · Little Wall Lake 14 mi · Badger Lake 23 mi · Don Williams Lake 25 mi · Lake Cornelia 25 mi · Peterson Pit West 26 mi · Des Moines River 28 mi · Spring Lake 36 mi · Beeds Lake 36 mi · Eldred Sherwood Lake 37 mi · Lower Pine Lake 37 mi · Upper Pine Lake 38 mi
See how Briggs Woods Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Iowa · best smallmouth bass lakes in Iowa · best walleye lakes in Iowa · best white bass lakes in Iowa
Browse all Iowa fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. 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.