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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
81-acre lake in Iron County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 11 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
On the chart, Oxbow Lake draws 81 acres inside 2.6 miles of shoreline. Index 2.1 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. The basin spans about 1 mi end to end and 0.3 mi across at its widest. The water lies in Iron County. For a second option, Little Oxbow Lake lies 0 mi north.
Spring walleye on Oxbow Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 11 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 3 to 11 ft in summer, 3 to 11 ft once it turns cold. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 5 ft that grades prime for fall. The feeding windows run the evening and early morning. The summer box starts with a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled).
| 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 |
Early season yellow perch use the shallows, holding in 3 to 11 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 11 ft; winter keeps them in 3 to 11 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| 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) |
In spring, northern pike run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 11 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 11 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage most summer days.
| 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 |
Start shallow in spring: muskellunge 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. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for muskellunge in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. Throw a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| 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 |
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 11 ft. Summer keeps them at 3 to 11 ft, and they winter in 3 to 11 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig most summer days.
| 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 |
Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 11 ft, wintering in 3 to 11 ft. Spring largemouth bass concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 3 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Oxbow Lake also holds crappie (3 to 11 ft in summer), bluegill (3 to 11 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Count 6 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 Oxbow Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Oxbow 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 walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed on Oxbow 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.
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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
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 Oxbow 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.
Little Oxbow Lake 0 mi · Spider Lake 1 mi · Kinder Lake 1 mi · Deertail Lake 2 mi · Twin Lake 2 mi · Net Lake 2 mi · Little Martha Lake 2 mi · Clear Lake 2 mi · Cramer Lake 2 mi · Margaret Lake 2 mi · Payment Lake 2 mi · Bear Lake 3 mi
See how Oxbow Lake 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: 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.