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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
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86-acre lake in Price County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 5 ft. The contours come from a model of the real basin shape and its known max depth. Read them as probabilities, not soundings, and keep them out of navigation decisions. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
On the chart, Gates Lake draws 86 acres inside 1.6 miles of shoreline. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1.2) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. End to end it runs roughly 0.6 mi, about 0.3 mi across. The water lies in Price County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Nichols Lake, 1 mi southwest of here.
Spring yellow perch on Gates Lake 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. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 3 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm.
| 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) |
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 1 to 5 ft. Summer keeps them at 2 to 5 ft, and they winter in 2 to 5 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Break off the point (2 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring puts crappie 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. Winter crappie concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 4 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| 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 |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: bluegill in 1 to 5 ft. The depth story barely changes: 1 to 5 ft through summer, 2 to 5 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 small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| 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 |
When the water first warms, pumpkinseed 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. 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 the evening and early morning. Keep a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) 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) | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 1 to 5 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 1 to 5 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
5 pieces of structure are mapped here — Main-lake point, around 5 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 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, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed 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.
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. 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 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.
Nichols Lake 1 mi · Aabajijiwang Flowage 2 mi · Sailor Lake 2 mi · Spur Lake 2 mi · Beaver Lake 3 mi · Schmuland Flowage 3 mi · Sailor Creek Flowage 3 mi · Sweeney Lake 4 mi · Planet Lake 4 mi · Bear Lake 4 mi · Granger Lake 5 mi · Coolidge Lake 5 mi
See how Gates 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: Price County fishing maps (118 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.