Lake depth chart
Today's read
Rating depth structure for northern pike.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
15-acre lake in Taylor 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 follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
The drawn water covers 15 acres wrapped in 0.8 miles of bank. A middling shoreline index (1.5) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. Call it 0.3 mi long by 0.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. Taylor County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Spruce Lake, is 1 mi to the northwest.
Spring puts yellow perch 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. Fall yellow perch concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 9 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| 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) |
Spring northern pike on Mud Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 11 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 11 ft. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 5 ft, prime for fall. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | open water | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (5 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Spring crappie on Mud Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 11 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 11 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 9 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled).
| 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 |
Spring bluegill on Mud Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 3 to 11 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 11 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 9 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.
| 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 |
Count 3 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 9 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 Mud Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Mud 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, northern pike, crappie, bluegill on Mud 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. 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 Mud 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.
Spruce Lake 1 mi · Diamond Lake 2 mi · Mud Lake 3 mi · Birch Lake 3 mi · Chub Lake 4 mi · Polack Lake 4 mi · Lake Eleven 5 mi · Thief Lake 5 mi · Nona Lake 5 mi · Eska Lake 5 mi · Richter Lake 5 mi · Kathryn Lake 6 mi
See how Mud Lake stacks up: best northern pike lakes in Wisconsin · best crappie lakes in Wisconsin · best bluegill lakes in Wisconsin · best yellow perch lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Taylor County fishing maps (80 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.