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Rating depth structure for crappie.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
25-acre lake in Oconto County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 5 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. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Deer Lake maps at 25 acres behind 0.8 miles of shoreline. At index 1.1 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. 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 0.3 mi with a 0.2-mi widest point. Oconto County claims this one. Funk Lake sits 1 mi north — the closest neighbouring chart.
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 1 to 5 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 2 to 5 ft covers summer, 2 to 5 ft covers winter. 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. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn | Deep basin (4 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (4 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 1 to 5 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 5 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 5 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 5 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 1 to 5 ft, winter 2 to 5 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 and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
4 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 4 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 Deer Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Deer Lake is about 5 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 yellow perch, crappie, bluegill on Deer 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.
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 Deer 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.
Funk Lake 1 mi · Marl Lake 1 mi · Impassable Lake 1 mi · Wescott Lake 1 mi · Pecor Lake 1 mi · Underwood Lake 1 mi · Messenger Lake 1 mi · White Lake 1 mi · Leigh Flowage 2 mi · Ucil Lake 2 mi · Cooley Lake 2 mi · Long Lake 2 mi
See how Deer Lake stacks up: best crappie lakes in Wisconsin · best bluegill lakes in Wisconsin · best yellow perch lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Oconto County fishing maps (135 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.