Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeLake depth chart
Today's read
Rating depth structure for northern pike.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
17-acre reservoir in Columbia 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. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The outline encloses 17 acres, worked by 1 miles of shoreline. A middling shoreline index (1.7) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. End to end it runs roughly 0.3 mi, about 0.2 mi across. It sits in Columbia County. If the bite dies, French Creek Wla Pool No. 2 is 1 mi to the northwest.
Spring puts yellow perch in skinny water — 1 to 5 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for fall yellow perch. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | open water | 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) |
Spring northern pike on French Creek Wla Pool No. 1 hold shallow, usually 1 to 5 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 2 to 5 ft in summer, 2 to 5 ft once it turns cold. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 2 ft that grades prime for fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | open water | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (2 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (2 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Spring crappie on French Creek Wla Pool No. 1 hold shallow, usually 1 to 5 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 2 to 5 ft in summer, 2 to 5 ft once it turns cold. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 4 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | open water | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (2 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | dawn | Break off the point (2 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 |
Spring bluegill on French Creek Wla Pool No. 1 hold shallow, usually 1 to 5 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 1 to 5 ft in summer, 2 to 5 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 4 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dusk | open water | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Break off the point (2 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Count 3 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Main-lake point, sits near 5 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Wisconsin waters are set by the Wisconsin DNR — and special regulations can apply to French Creek Wla Pool No. 1 specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
French Creek Wla Pool No. 1 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, northern pike, crappie, bluegill on French Creek Wla Pool No. 1. 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 4 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each 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 French Creek Wla Pool No. 1 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.
French Creek Wla Pool No. 2 1 mi · Dates Millpond 2 mi · Mulhern Lake 3 mi · Smith Lake 4 mi · Swan Lake 5 mi · Ennis Lake 5 mi · Madden Lakes 6 mi · West Lake 6 mi · Madden Lakes 6 mi · Silver Lake 6 mi · Lake George 6 mi · Spring Lake 6 mi
See how French Creek Wla Pool No. 1 stacks up: best northern pike lakes in Wisconsin · best crappie lakes in Wisconsin · best bluegill lakes in Wisconsin · best yellow perch lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Columbia County fishing maps (19 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.