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Rating depth structure for crappie.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
42-acre lake in Waupaca County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 17 ft. Depth here is modeled from the true shoreline and max depth rather than surveyed; use it to plan, not to navigate. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
The outline encloses 42 acres, worked by 1.6 miles of shoreline. A middling shoreline index (1.8) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. Roughly 83% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. End to end it runs roughly 0.5 mi, about 0.3 mi across. Waupaca County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Shadow Lake, is 1 mi to the east.
Spring puts yellow perch in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 5 to 17 ft, wintering in 5 to 17 ft. Spring yellow perch concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 3 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 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 5 to 17 ft | dawn | Deep basin (14 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Deep basin (14 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (14 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring crappie on Old Taylor Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 5 to 17 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 17 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 14 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 | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (8 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 17 ft | dawn | Break off the point (8 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Deep basin (14 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring bluegill on Old Taylor Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 17 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. 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 | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Break off the point (8 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Deep basin (14 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
The chart marks 5 structure features on Old Taylor Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 14 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 Old Taylor Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Old Taylor Lake is about 17 ft (5 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, crappie, bluegill on Old Taylor 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. 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 Old Taylor 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.
Shadow Lake 1 mi · Taylor Lake 1 mi · Otter Lake 1 mi · Mirror Lake 2 mi · George Lake 2 mi · Rainbow Lake 2 mi · Cary Pond 2 mi · Waupaca Millpond 2 mi · Sunset Lake 2 mi · Nessling Lake 2 mi · McCrossen Lake 2 mi · Round Lake 3 mi
See how Old Taylor Lake stacks up: best crappie lakes in Wisconsin · best bluegill lakes in Wisconsin · best yellow perch lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Waupaca County fishing maps (85 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.