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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
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15-acre lake in Ashland County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 5 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. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
Sells Lake maps at 15 acres behind 1.4 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 2.5, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.5 mi with a 0.2-mi widest point. Ashland County claims this one. If the bite dies, Meyer Lake is 1 mi to the west.
Spring brook trout on Sells Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 5 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 2 to 5 ft in summer, 1 to 5 ft once it turns cold. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 4 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (4 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 1 to 5 ft | dawn | Deep basin (4 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Come spring, look for northern pike tight to the bank in 1 to 5 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 5 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 5 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in 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 | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, muskellunge slide up into 1 to 5 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 5 ft, winter 2 to 5 ft. 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 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 | 1 to 5 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dusk | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Come spring, look for smallmouth bass tight to the bank in 1 to 5 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 5 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 5 ft. Start at Main-lake point. It's a point holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in 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 | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 1 to 5 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 5 ft, winter 2 to 5 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 texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Count 4 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Main-lake point, sits near 5 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 Sells Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Sells Lake is about 5 ft (2 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 brook trout, northern pike, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass on Sells 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 northern pike in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For brook trout, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Sells 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.
Meyer Lake 1 mi · Augustine Lake 4 mi · Cammerer Lake 4 mi · Wolf Lake 5 mi · Cycle Lake 5 mi · Gordon Lake 6 mi · Seagels Lake 6 mi · Summit Lake 6 mi · Little Butternut Lake 6 mi · Zielke Lake 6 mi · Torrey Lake 6 mi · Knab Lake 6 mi
See how Sells Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best smallmouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best northern pike lakes in Wisconsin · best muskellunge lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Ashland County fishing maps (68 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.