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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
13-acre lake in Jackson County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 4 ft. What you see is a modeled chart: the shoreline is real, the max depth is published, and the contours between are estimated. Plan with it; don't navigate by it. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
On the chart, Horseshoe Lake draws 13 acres inside 0.9 miles of shoreline. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 1.8) — enough points and pockets to pattern. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. Call it 0.3 mi long by 0.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Jackson County. The nearest mapped water is Stevens Lake, 7 mi to the east.
When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 1 to 4 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 1 to 4 ft, winter 1 to 4 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 3 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn | Deep basin (3 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Deep basin (3 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (3 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: northern pike in 1 to 4 ft. The depth story barely changes: 1 to 4 ft through summer, 1 to 4 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 2 ft range, prime in fall. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | open water | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (2 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (2 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 1 to 4 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 1 to 4 ft covers summer, 1 to 4 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (2 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Break off the point (2 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 1 to 4 ft. The depth story barely changes: 1 to 4 ft through summer, 1 to 4 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 3 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | open water | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (2 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | dawn | Break off the point (2 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Deep basin (3 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring puts bluegill in skinny water — 1 to 4 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 1 to 4 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 4 ft. Winter bluegill concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 3 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dusk | open water | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Break off the point (2 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Deep basin (3 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Horseshoe Lake carries 3 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Main-lake point, about 4 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Wisconsin waters are set by the Wisconsin DNR — and special regulations can apply to Horseshoe Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Horseshoe Lake is about 4 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, northern pike, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill on Horseshoe 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.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. 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 Horseshoe 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.
Stevens Lake 7 mi · Douglas Pond 8 mi · Mud Lake 10 mi · Deep Lake 10 mi · Marinuka Lake 11 mi · Golf Course Pond 11 mi · Shallow Lake 11 mi · Horse Shoe Lake 12 mi · Neshonoc Lake 12 mi · Lake Onalaska 14 mi · Black River 14 mi · Third Lake 15 mi
See how Horseshoe 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: Jackson County fishing maps (39 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.