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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
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44-acre lake in Iron County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 13 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
The drawn water covers 44 acres wrapped in 1.1 miles of bank. A shoreline index of 1.1 says round and simple: fish relate to depth changes here, not shoreline features. 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. It sits in Iron County. Twin Lakes, East sits 1 mi southwest — the closest neighbouring chart.
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 13 ft; cold water stacks them in 4 to 13 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 3 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| 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 13 ft | dawn | Deep basin (11 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 4 to 13 ft | midday | Deep basin (11 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 4 to 13 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (11 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
When the water first warms, muskellunge slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 13 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 13 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shoreline break: a drop-off around 6 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Keep a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) rigged through the warm months.
| 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 13 ft | dusk & dawn | Shoreline break (6 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 3 to 13 ft | midday & dusk | Shoreline break (6 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 4 to 13 ft | midday | Deep basin (11 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 4 to 13 ft game here, winter a 4 to 13 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| 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 13 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (6 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 13 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 13 ft | midday | Shoreline break (6 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 4 to 13 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 13 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 11 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| 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 13 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (6 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 13 ft | dawn | Shoreline break (6 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 4 to 13 ft | midday | Deep basin (11 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 13 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 13 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 early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| 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 13 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 4 to 13 ft | midday | Shoreline break (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 4 to 13 ft | midday | Deep basin (11 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: pumpkinseed in 1 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 2 to 10 ft, wintering in 4 to 13 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 3 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 13 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 4 to 13 ft | dawn | Deep basin (11 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
4 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 11 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 McCarthy Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
McCarthy Lake is about 13 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, muskellunge, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed on McCarthy 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 McCarthy 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.
Twin Lakes, East 1 mi · Twin Lakes 2 mi · Caroline Lake 2 mi · Eureka Lake 2 mi · Lake Galilee 3 mi · Dollar Lake 3 mi · Snowshoe Lake 4 mi · Beaver Lake 4 mi · Shirley Lake 5 mi · Meder Lake 5 mi · Dry Lake 5 mi · Long Lake 5 mi
See how McCarthy 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: Iron County fishing maps (158 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.