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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
5-acre lake in Ashland County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 11 ft. The depth picture is modeled, anchored to the true shoreline and the water's published max depth — a scouting aid, never a chart to run a boat by. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Traced from the shoreline, John Frank Lake runs 5 acres with 0.4 miles of edge. At index 1.1 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. The water lies in Ashland County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Potter Lake, 1 mi south of here.
Come spring, look for yellow perch tight to the bank in 3 to 11 ft. Through summer count on 3 to 11 ft; the winter hold is 3 to 11 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 9 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
In spring, muskellunge run shallow here, mostly 3 to 11 ft. Summer keeps them at 3 to 11 ft, and they winter in 3 to 11 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for fall muskellunge. Time it for the evening and early morning. You won't need more than a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 11 ft | dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 11 ft, wintering in 3 to 11 ft. Top water on the chart: Main-lake point, a point in the 8 ft range, prime in fall. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Break off the point (5 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 11 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 11 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | open water | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | dawn | Break off the point (5 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 11 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 11 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 9 ft, rated prime for winter bluegill. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | open water | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Break off the point (5 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Early season pumpkinseed use the shallows, holding in 1 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 2 to 10 ft, then a winter hold in 3 to 11 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 9 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Tie on a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | open water | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (5 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
3 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 9 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 John Frank Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
John Frank Lake is about 11 ft (3 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, muskellunge, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed on John Frank 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 9 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by 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 John Frank 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.
Potter Lake 1 mi · Beaverdam Lake 1 mi · English Lake 2 mi · Mineral Lake 2 mi · Lake Three 3 mi · Seitz Lake 4 mi · Bass Lake 4 mi · Moquah Lake 5 mi · Beaver Lake 5 mi · Conley Lake 5 mi · Tea Lake 5 mi · Spider Lake 6 mi
See how John Frank Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best crappie lakes in Wisconsin · best bluegill 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.