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6,873-acre lake near Marshall County. The lake tops out around 4 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The outline encloses 6,873 acres, worked by 14.2 miles of shoreline. Its 1.2 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. Tip to tip the water measures near 5.2 mi with a 2.9-mi widest point. Marshall County claims this one. Hayes sits 19 mi northeast — the closest neighbouring chart.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: walleye in 1 to 4 ft. The depth story barely changes: 1 to 4 ft through summer, 1 to 4 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 3 ft range, prime in fall. Time it for the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (2 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (3 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (3 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (4 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 1 to 4 ft. Summer keeps them at 1 to 4 ft, and they winter in 1 to 4 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Time it for early morning. You won't need more than a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn | Deep basin (4 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (4 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Early season northern pike use the shallows, holding in 1 to 4 ft. Even in summer they hold at 1 to 4 ft; winter keeps them in 1 to 4 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 2 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Spring largemouth bass on Thief hold shallow, usually 1 to 4 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 1 to 4 ft in summer, 1 to 4 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 2 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in 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 | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (2 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Break off the point (3 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 1 to 4 ft. Even in summer they hold at 1 to 4 ft; winter keeps them in 1 to 4 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 4 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 4 ft. Even in summer they hold at 1 to 4 ft; winter keeps them in 1 to 4 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 2 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is 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 4 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Thief also holds pumpkinseed (1 to 4 ft in summer), brown bullhead (1 to 4 ft in summer), common carp (1 to 4 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
9 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 4 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: MN DNR Water Access Sites (struc_water_access_sites), Minnesota Geospatial Commons. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Minnesota waters are set by the Minnesota DNR — and special regulations can apply to Thief specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Minnesota fishing regulations →
Thief is about 4 ft (1 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, common carp on Thief. This isn't a survey of the lake — none is on record for it — but an informed estimate from the species listed for the nearest surveyed lakes in the region, filtered to this lake's depth and habitat.
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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 Thief 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.
Hayes 19 mi · Red Lake River Reservoir 28 mi · Unnamed (Florian Pk Res.) 35 mi · Bronson 37 mi · Whitemouth Lake 53 mi, MB · Perch 54 mi · Store 54 mi · Moose Lake 56 mi, MB · Badger 56 mi · Hill River 56 mi · Upper Red Lake 57 mi · Cameron 57 mi
See how Thief stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best walleye lakes in Minnesota · best northern pike lakes in Minnesota · best crappie lakes in Minnesota
Browse all Minnesota fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. 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.