Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeLake depth chart
Today's read
Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
17-acre lake in Ashland County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 17 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. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
The drawn water covers 17 acres wrapped in 0.8 miles of bank. At index 1.4 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. About 69% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.3 mi. It sits in Ashland County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Muskellunge Lake, is 2 mi to the north.
Spring muskellunge on Gates Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 5 to 17 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 17 ft. The chart's best answer is Shoreline break — drop-off, 8 ft, prime for fall. Prime time lands in the evening and early morning. The summer box starts with a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 5 to 17 ft | dusk & dawn | Shoreline break (8 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 5 to 17 ft | midday & dusk | Shoreline break (8 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Deep basin (14 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 5 to 17 ft game here, winter a 5 to 17 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 texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (8 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Shoreline break (8 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
4 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 14 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 Gates Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Gates Lake is about 17 ft (5 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 muskellunge, largemouth bass on Gates 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.
Shoreline break is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for muskellunge in fall. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For muskellunge, 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 Gates 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.
Muskellunge Lake 2 mi · Pelican Lake 2 mi · Seagels Lake 4 mi · Torrey Lake 5 mi · Camp Four Lake 5 mi · Gordon Lake 6 mi · Bullhead Lake 6 mi · Zielke Lake 6 mi · Spillerberg Lake 7 mi · Slim Lake 7 mi · Summit Lake 8 mi · Meyer Lake 8 mi
See how Gates Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best muskellunge lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Ashland County fishing maps (68 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.