Sign inSign up freeRecent catches at Cattail Lake
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
Fishing Cattail Lake: what the data says
22-acre lake near Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 3 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Walleye fishing at Cattail Lake
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 1 to 3 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 3 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 3 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 1 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 3 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Yellow Perch fishing at Cattail Lake
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 1 to 3 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 3 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 3 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. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Muskellunge fishing at Cattail Lake
Start shallow in spring: muskellunge sit in 1 to 3 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 1 to 3 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 3 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 1 ft that scores prime in fall. 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 3 ft | dusk | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dusk & dawn | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dusk | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Cattail Lake
Spring smallmouth bass on Cattail Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 3 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 3 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 3 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. Best bite is 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 | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Cattail Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 1 to 3 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 3 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 3 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Cattail Lake
Spring crappie on Cattail Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 3 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 3 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 3 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Cattail Lake also holds bluegill (1 to 3 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (1 to 3 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Main-lake point: point, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 3 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 1 ft
Common questions
How deep is Cattail Lake?
Cattail Lake is about 3 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 Cattail Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, muskellunge, yellow perch, pumpkinseed on Cattail 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 Cattail Lake?
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 1 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 Cattail 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.
Nearby waters
Kelly Lake · Lower Clam Lake · Ike Lake · Delano Lake · Red Ike Lake · McLaren Lake
See how Cattail 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
Browse all Wisconsin fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.