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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
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171-acre lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 11 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Traced from the shoreline, Tambling Lake runs 171 acres with 2.1 miles of edge. Nearly circular (index 1.1), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. The basin spans about 0.8 mi end to end and 0.5 mi across at its widest. The water lies in Vilas County. The nearest mapped water is Voyageur Lake, 1 mi to the west.
Come spring, look for walleye tight to the bank in 3 to 11 ft. Through summer count on 3 to 11 ft; the winter hold is 3 to 11 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shoreline break: a drop-off around 5 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & dawn | Shoreline break (5 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & dawn | Shoreline break (5 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & night | Shoreline break (5 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Come spring, look for yellow perch tight to the bank in 3 to 11 ft. Through summer count on 3 to 11 ft; the winter hold is 3 to 11 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. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm is the honest summer answer here.
| 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) |
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 11 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 11 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. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage until the fish tell you otherwise.
| 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 |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 11 ft, wintering in 3 to 11 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 3 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| 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 | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Shoreline break (5 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 11 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 11 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 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 bluegill. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Tambling Lake also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Tambling Lake carries 4 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 9 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Wisconsin waters are set by the Wisconsin DNR — and special regulations can apply to Tambling Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Tambling 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, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed on Tambling 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.
Shoreline break 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 Tambling 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.
Voyageur Lake 1 mi · Carpenter Lake 1 mi · Scattering Rice Lake 1 mi · Bass Lake 1 mi · Cranberry Lake 2 mi · Tinsel Lake 2 mi · Harmony Lake 2 mi · Dollar Lake 2 mi · Eagle Lake 2 mi · Catfish Lake (Eagle River Chain) 2 mi · Finger Lake 3 mi · Otter Lake 3 mi
See how Tambling Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best walleye lakes in Wisconsin · best northern pike lakes in Wisconsin · best crappie lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Vilas County fishing maps (507 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.