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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
56-acre lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 12 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. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
Hayden Lake maps at 56 acres behind 1.2 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. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. Call it 0.4 mi long by 0.3 mi wide at the broadest reach. Burnett County claims this one. Long Lake sits 1 mi northwest — the closest neighbouring chart.
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer keeps them at 4 to 12 ft, and they winter in 4 to 12 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Time it for early morning. You won't need more than a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn | Deep basin (10 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (10 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (10 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Early season northern pike use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 12 ft, then a winter hold in 4 to 12 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (5 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Early season muskellunge use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Even in summer they hold at 4 to 12 ft; winter keeps them in 4 to 12 ft. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 5 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Tie on a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) and you're in the game.
| 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 | 4 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (10 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Spring largemouth bass on Hayden Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 12 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 3 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Break off the point (5 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 12 ft, then a winter hold in 4 to 12 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 10 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dawn | Break off the point (5 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (10 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 3 to 12 ft game here, winter a 4 to 12 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 small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Break off the point (5 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (10 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Hayden Lake also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Count 5 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 10 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 Hayden Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Hayden Lake is about 12 ft (4 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, muskellunge, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed on Hayden 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 Hayden 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.
Long Lake 1 mi · Round Lake 1 mi · Love Lake 1 mi · Bricher Lake 1 mi · Minerva Lake 1 mi · Falk Lake 2 mi · Cranberry Lake 2 mi · Minnow Lake 2 mi · Our Lake 2 mi · Gull Lake 2 mi · Mingo Lake 2 mi · Fremstadt Lake 3 mi
See how Hayden Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best northern pike lakes in Wisconsin · best crappie lakes in Wisconsin · best bluegill lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Burnett County fishing maps (183 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.