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Rating depth structure for bluegill.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
51-acre lake near Otter Tail County. The lake tops out around 38 ft. This chart interpolates between a real shoreline and a known maximum depth. It will point you at likely water, but it is not a navigation product. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
Sunfish maps at 51 acres behind 1.3 miles of shoreline. Its 1.3 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. 47% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 0.5 mi, about 0.2 mi across. Otter Tail County claims this one. Elbow sits 1 mi southeast — the closest neighbouring chart.
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Shoreline break (17 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: pumpkinseed in 1 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 2 to 10 ft before dropping to 6 to 18 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for pumpkinseed in spring. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, brown bullhead slide up into 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 3 to 12 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (32 ft) |
Sunfish carries 4 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 32 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Minnesota waters are set by the Minnesota DNR — and special regulations can apply to Sunfish specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Minnesota fishing regulations →
Sunfish is about 38 ft (12 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 bluegill, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Sunfish.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For bluegill, 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 Sunfish 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.
Elbow 1 mi · East Silent 2 mi · Hoffman 2 mi · East Spirit 3 mi · West Silent 3 mi · West McDonald 3 mi · Round 3 mi · Big McDonald 4 mi · Star 4 mi · Pine 4 mi · East Loon 4 mi · Pickerel 4 mi
See how Sunfish stacks up: best bluegill lakes in Minnesota · best pumpkinseed lakes in Minnesota · best brown bullhead lakes in Minnesota
More water nearby: Otter Tail County fishing maps (156 charts). Browse all Minnesota 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.