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20-acre lake near Carver County. The lake tops out around 50 ft. The depth chart comes from Minnesota Department of Natural Resources bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
The drawn water covers 20 acres wrapped in 0.9 miles of bank. A middling shoreline index (1.5) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. Roughly 47% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. End to end it runs roughly 0.3 mi, about 0.2 mi across. It sits in Carver County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Tamarack, is 1 mi to the west.
Early season northern pike use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 5 to 15 ft one. The chart's best answer is Main-lake point — point, 10 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage and you're in the game.
| 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 | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Spring largemouth bass on St. Joe hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Put Main-lake point first on the milk run — a point near 10 ft that grades prime for fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (21 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (21 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 25 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 21 ft that grades good for winter. 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 | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | open water | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (21 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Break off the point (21 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
In spring, pumpkinseed run shallow here, mostly 1 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 2 to 10 ft, and winter fish settle into 6 to 18 ft. Time it for the evening and early morning. You won't need more than a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | open water | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 18 ft | dawn | open water | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Early season brown bullhead use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 3 to 12 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 25 ft. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | open water | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | open water | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | open water | |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | open water |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 10 to 25 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 21 ft, prime for summer. 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 | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | open water | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (21 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (21 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (21 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
St. Joe also holds black bullhead (3 to 15 ft in summer), bowfin (2 to 14 ft in summer), green sunfish (2 to 12 ft in summer), yellow bullhead (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
3 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 44 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Minnesota waters are set by the Minnesota DNR — and special regulations can apply to St. Joe specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Minnesota fishing regulations →
St. Joe is about 50 ft (15 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from Minnesota Department of Natural Resources bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.
Anglers target northern pike, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, crappie, black bullhead, bowfin, green sunfish, yellow bullhead on St. Joe.
Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For northern pike, 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 St. Joe is regulated by the Minnesota DNR. Check the official Minnesota regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Tamarack 1 mi · Minnewashta 1 mi · Virginia 1 mi · Schutz 1 mi · Steiger 2 mi · Zumbra-Sunny 2 mi · Minnetonka-Upper Lake 2 mi · Church 3 mi · Bavaria 3 mi · Kelser's Pond 3 mi · Stone 3 mi · East Auburn 3 mi
See how St. Joe stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best northern pike lakes in Minnesota · best crappie lakes in Minnesota · best bluegill lakes in Minnesota
More water nearby: Carver County fishing maps (39 charts). Browse all Minnesota fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. 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.