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1,475-acre lake near Spink County. The lake tops out around 9 ft. Depth here is modeled from the true shoreline and max depth rather than surveyed; use it to plan, not to navigate. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
Cottonwood Lake maps at 1,464 acres behind 7.6 miles of shoreline. At index 1.4 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. Call it 2.6 mi long by 1.3 mi wide at the broadest reach. It sits in Spink County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Redfield Lake, is 9 mi to the northeast.
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 2 to 9 ft. Summer keeps them at 3 to 9 ft, and they winter in 3 to 9 ft. Spring yellow perch concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 3 ft. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 9 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 3 to 9 ft | dawn | Deep basin (8 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 3 to 9 ft | midday | Deep basin (8 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (8 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 3 to 9 ft game here, winter a 3 to 9 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 8 ft, prime for winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 3 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 9 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft | midday | Deep basin (8 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Expect a summer slide to 2 to 9 ft, then a winter hold in 3 to 9 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 2 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 3 to 9 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft | midday | Deep basin (8 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Early season northern pike use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 3 to 9 ft game here, winter a 3 to 9 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 3 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 3 to 9 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: walleye in 2 to 9 ft. The depth story barely changes: 3 to 9 ft through summer, 3 to 9 ft in winter. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 9 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 3 to 9 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (4 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 9 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (4 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (8 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Spring largemouth bass on Cottonwood Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 9 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 3 to 9 ft in summer, 3 to 9 ft once it turns cold. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 3 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 2 to 9 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft | midday | Break off the point (4 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Cottonwood Lake also holds brown bullhead (2 to 9 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Main-lake point at roughly 8 ft.
Access data: South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks — Boat Ramps. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for South Dakota waters are set by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks — and special regulations can apply to Cottonwood Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official South Dakota fishing regulations →
Cottonwood Lake is about 9 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 yellow perch, crappie, bluegill, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, brown bullhead on Cottonwood 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 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For yellow perch, the summer bite is best in 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 Cottonwood Lake is regulated by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. Check the official South Dakota regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Redfield Lake 9 mi · Louise Lake 26 mi · Jones Lake 26 mi · Faulkton Lake 30 mi · Byron Lake 31 mi · Cresbard Lake 31 mi · Cavour Lake 41 mi · Reid Lake 48 mi · Chapelle Lake 53 mi · Richmond Lake 54 mi · Horseshoe Lake 58 mi · Swan Lake 59 mi
See how Cottonwood Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in South Dakota · best walleye lakes in South Dakota · best northern pike lakes in South Dakota · best crappie lakes in South Dakota
Browse all South Dakota 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.