Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeLake depth chart
Today's read
Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
295-acre reservoir in Lincoln County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 11 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. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
Merrill Flowage maps at 299 acres behind 13.5 miles of shoreline — 8 islands included. With a shoreline index of 5.6, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. The basin spans about 3.4 mi end to end and 0.8 mi across at its widest. It sits in Lincoln County. If the bite dies, Lake Pesobic is 3 mi to the northeast.
Spring puts walleye in skinny water — 3 to 11 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 3 to 11 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 11 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for fall walleye. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (5 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (5 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 11 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 3 to 11 ft covers summer, 3 to 11 ft covers winter. 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 11 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 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) |
Come spring, look for northern pike tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 3 to 11 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 11 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage 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) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, muskellunge slide up into 3 to 11 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 11 ft, winter 3 to 11 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 5 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 11 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 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 |
Come spring, look for smallmouth bass 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. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 8 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Break off the point (5 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 3 to 11 ft game here, winter a 3 to 11 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 | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 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 |
Merrill Flowage also holds crappie (3 to 11 ft in summer), bluegill (3 to 11 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 9 ft.
Access data: Wisconsin DNR - Boat Access Sites, Shore Fishing Sites, and DNR Parking Lots. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Wisconsin waters are set by the Wisconsin DNR — and special regulations can apply to Merrill Flowage specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Merrill Flowage 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 walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill on Merrill Flowage. 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.
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For walleye, the summer bite is best in the evening and 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 Merrill Flowage 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.
Lake Pesobic 3 mi · Gospel Lake 5 mi · Black Alder Lake 8 mi · Olivotti Lake 8 mi · Ackerman Lake 8 mi · Knight Lake 8 mi · Tug Lake 8 mi · Larson Lake 9 mi · Anient Lake 9 mi · Thompson Lake 9 mi · Horn Lake 10 mi · Henson Lake 10 mi
See how Merrill Flowage stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best smallmouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best walleye lakes in Wisconsin · best northern pike lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Lincoln County fishing maps (91 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.