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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
22-acre lake in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 3 ft. The contours come from a model of the real basin shape and its known max depth. Read them as probabilities, not soundings, and keep them out of navigation decisions. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Traced from the shoreline, Cattail Lake runs 22 acres with 1.9 miles of edge. An index of 2.9 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. End to end it runs roughly 0.6 mi, about 0.3 mi across. You'll find it in Sawyer County. The nearest mapped water is Ike Lake, 1 mi to the southwest.
When the water first warms, walleye slide up into 1 to 3 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 1 to 3 ft, winter 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. 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 | 1 to 3 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (3 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (1 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (1 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (3 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 1 to 3 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 1 to 3 ft, winter 1 to 3 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 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 | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn | Deep basin (3 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Deep basin (3 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (3 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring puts muskellunge in skinny water — 1 to 3 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 1 to 3 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 3 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 1 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 | 1 to 3 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (3 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dusk | Break off the point (1 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Deep basin (3 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: smallmouth bass in 1 to 3 ft. The depth story barely changes: 1 to 3 ft through summer, 1 to 3 ft in winter. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 3 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 | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (3 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (1 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (3 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Break off the point (1 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 1 to 3 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 1 to 3 ft covers summer, 1 to 3 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 3 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 | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Break off the point (1 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 1 to 3 ft. The depth story barely changes: 1 to 3 ft through summer, 1 to 3 ft in winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. 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 | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Deep basin (3 ft) | 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.
Structure-wise the chart holds 5 features, led in depth by Main-lake point at roughly 3 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 Cattail Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Cattail Lake is about 3 ft (1 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 walleye, yellow perch, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, 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.
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. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
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.
Fishing on Cattail 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.
Ike Lake 1 mi · Kelly Lake 1 mi · Lower Clam Lake 1 mi · Red Ike Lake 1 mi · Delano Lake 1 mi · Christy Lake 2 mi · McLaren Lake 2 mi · Noble Lake 2 mi · Hadley Lake 2 mi · Pole Lake 2 mi · Buffalo Lake 3 mi · Little Clam Lake 3 mi
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
More water nearby: Sawyer County fishing maps (184 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.