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Fishing Shoal Lake: what the data says
232-acre lake near 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Yellow Perch fishing at Shoal Lake
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 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. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at Shoal Lake
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 1 to 5 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Shoal Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Shoal Lake
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Pumpkinseed fishing at Shoal Lake
Start shallow in spring: pumpkinseed sit in 1 to 5 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 1 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for pumpkinseed in spring. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dusk | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 1 to 5 ft | dusk & dawn | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 1 to 5 ft | dusk & dawn | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | dawn | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Notable structure
- Main-lake point: point, around 5 ft
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 4 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Shoal Lake?
Shoal Lake is about 5 ft 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.
What fish are in Shoal Lake?
Anglers target northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, pumpkinseed on Shoal 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.
Where is the best fishing spot on Shoal Lake?
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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Shoal Lake?
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.
Nearby waters
Coruick Lake · Bogey Lake · Cadotte Lake · Bartash Lake · Bass Lake · Boner Lake
See how Shoal 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
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