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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
29-acre lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 3 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. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
The outline encloses 29 acres, worked by 1.2 miles of shoreline. With a 1.6 development index there's bank structure worth casting at, in moderation. 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 0.4 mi with a 0.2-mi widest point. It sits in Vilas County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Joyce Lake, is 1 mi to the south.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: yellow perch 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 Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| 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) |
Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 1 to 3 ft. Through summer count on 1 to 3 ft; the winter hold is 1 to 3 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.
| 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 |
When the water first warms, crappie 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 Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) 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) | 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 |
Come spring, look for bluegill tight to the bank in 1 to 3 ft. Through summer count on 1 to 3 ft; the winter hold is 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. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Deep basin (3 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Start shallow in spring: pumpkinseed 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. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for pumpkinseed in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. Throw a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
5 pieces of structure are mapped here — Main-lake point, around 3 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 Emil Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Emil 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 yellow perch, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed on Emil 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. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
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 Emil 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.
Joyce Lake 1 mi · Moccasin Lake 1 mi · Boygan Lake 1 mi · Clair Lake 1 mi · Lac du Lune 2 mi · Osceola Lake 2 mi · Forest Lake 2 mi · Wood Lake 2 mi · Kenu Lake 2 mi · Camp Five Lake 2 mi · Merrill Lake 2 mi · Ethel Lake 2 mi
See how Emil Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best crappie lakes in Wisconsin · best bluegill lakes in Wisconsin · best yellow perch lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Vilas County fishing maps (507 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.