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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
20-acre lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 11 ft. The depth picture is modeled, anchored to the true shoreline and the water's published max depth — a scouting aid, never a chart to run a boat by. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
Traced from the shoreline, Bug Lake runs 20 acres with 0.7 miles of edge. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1.1) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. End to end it runs roughly 0.3 mi. The water lies in Vilas County. For a second option, Hurrah Lake lies 1 mi north.
Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 11 ft, wintering in 3 to 11 ft. Spring largemouth bass concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 3 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Shoreline break (5 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The chart marks 4 structure features on Bug Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 9 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 Bug Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Bug Lake is about 11 ft (3 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 largemouth bass on Bug 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.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by 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 Bug 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.
Hurrah Lake 1 mi · Benedict Lake 1 mi · Dry Lake 1 mi · Erickson Lake 1 mi · Big Arbor Vitae Lake 1 mi · Scaffold Lake 1 mi · Roach Lake 2 mi · Mielke Lake 2 mi · Trilby Lake 2 mi · Smith Lake 2 mi · Ross Lake 2 mi · Oberlin Lake 3 mi
See how Bug Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass 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.