Lake depth chart
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16-acre lake in Sauk County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 12 ft. This chart interpolates between a real shoreline and a known maximum depth. It will point you at likely water, but it is not a navigation product. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The outline encloses 16 acres, worked by 1.6 miles of shoreline. An index of 2.9 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Nothing on this chart breaks 15 ft, which makes the whole surface littoral: weeds, bait and ambush cover everywhere. End to end it runs roughly 0.8 mi. It sits in Sauk County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Lower Wisconsin River, is 2 mi to the west.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: walleye in 3 to 12 ft. The depth story barely changes: 4 to 12 ft through summer, 4 to 12 ft in winter. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 5 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 | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (5 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (5 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (10 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer keeps them at 4 to 12 ft, and they winter in 4 to 12 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 | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn | Deep basin (10 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (10 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (10 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Early season northern pike use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 4 to 12 ft game here, winter a 4 to 12 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 | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (5 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Spring largemouth bass on Deacon Thomas Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 4 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 12 ft. 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 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Break off the point (5 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 4 to 12 ft game here, winter a 4 to 12 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 10 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 | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dawn | Break off the point (5 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (10 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 3 to 12 ft, then a winter hold in 4 to 12 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 | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Break off the point (5 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (10 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Deacon Thomas Lake also holds channel catfish (4 to 12 ft in summer), flathead catfish (3 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Deacon Thomas Lake carries 5 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 10 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Wisconsin waters are set by the Wisconsin DNR — and special regulations can apply to Deacon Thomas Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Deacon Thomas Lake is about 12 ft (4 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, northern pike, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish on Deacon Thomas 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 5 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each 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 Deacon Thomas 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.
Lower Wisconsin River 2 mi · Wood Slough 8 mi · Helena Lake 9 mi · Leland Millpond 10 mi · Taliesin Lake 11 mi · Mud Lake 12 mi · Hill Slough 12 mi · Fish Lake 12 mi · Birch Lake 13 mi · Crystal Lake 14 mi · Brandenburg Lake 14 mi · Stewart Lake 14 mi
See how Deacon Thomas Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best walleye lakes in Wisconsin · best northern pike lakes in Wisconsin · best crappie lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Sauk County fishing maps (17 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.