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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
78-acre lake in Pepin County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 7 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Drawn out, this is 78 acres of water rimmed by 4.5 miles of bank. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 3.6) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. Tip to tip the water measures near 1.3 mi with a 0.4-mi widest point. The water lies in Pepin County. For a second option, Silver Birch Lake lies 2 mi northeast.
When the water first warms, walleye slide up into 2 to 7 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 7 ft, winter 2 to 7 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run 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 | 2 to 7 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (7 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (7 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | dusk & night | Main-lake point (7 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (6 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 2 to 7 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 7 ft, winter 2 to 7 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn | Deep basin (6 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Deep basin (6 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (6 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: northern pike in 2 to 7 ft. The depth story barely changes: 2 to 7 ft through summer, 2 to 7 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 3 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 1 to 7 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 2 to 7 ft covers summer, 2 to 7 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. 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 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (7 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Deep basin (6 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 7 ft. The depth story barely changes: 2 to 7 ft through summer, 2 to 7 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 6 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for early morning and the evening. 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 | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Deep basin (6 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring puts bluegill in skinny water — 1 to 6 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 2 to 7 ft, wintering in 2 to 7 ft. Spring bluegill concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 3 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| 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 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Deep basin (6 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Dead Lake also holds channel catfish (2 to 7 ft in summer), flathead catfish (2 to 7 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
5 pieces of structure are mapped here — Main-lake point, around 7 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Wisconsin waters are set by the Wisconsin DNR — and special regulations can apply to Dead Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Dead Lake is about 7 ft (2 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 Dead 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.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in winter. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by 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 Dead 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.
Silver Birch Lake 2 mi · Thompson Lake 5 mi · Duck Lake 6 mi · Schlosser Lake 9 mi · Lake Eau Galle 10 mi · Nugget Lake 11 mi · Lake Pepin 13 mi, MN/WI · Frontenac 15 mi, MN · Chippewa River 18 mi · Mirror Lake 19 mi · Rock Falls Millpond 20 mi · George Lake*(Spring Valley) 22 mi
See how Dead 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: Pepin County fishing maps (5 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.