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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
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31-acre lake in Portage County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 28 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. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The outline encloses 31 acres, worked by 0.8 miles of shoreline. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 30% of the surface on the model — that's where the groceries are. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.3 mi with a 0.3-mi widest point. It sits in Portage County. If the bite dies, Mud Lake is 2 mi to the east.
Early season rainbow trout use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 7 to 28 ft, then a winter hold in 6 to 28 ft. Put Shoreline break first on the milk run — a drop-off near 13 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (13 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 7 to 28 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (13 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (13 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 6 to 28 ft | dawn | Shoreline break (13 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 28 ft; cold water stacks them in 8 to 28 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 3 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 8 to 28 ft | dawn | Deep basin (24 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Deep basin (24 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (24 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Come spring, look for northern pike tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 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 and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage is the honest summer answer here.
| 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 | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (13 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline break (13 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter an 8 to 28 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (13 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Shoreline break (13 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 28 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 24 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| 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 | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (13 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Shoreline break (13 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Deep basin (24 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shoreline break (13 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (24 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
The chart marks 4 structure features on Thomas Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 24 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Wisconsin waters are set by the Wisconsin DNR — and special regulations can apply to Thomas Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Thomas Lake is about 28 ft (9 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 rainbow trout, yellow perch, northern pike, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill on Thomas 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.
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. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For rainbow trout, 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 Thomas 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.
Mud Lake 2 mi · Adams Lake 3 mi · Lake Emily 3 mi · Bear Lake 3 mi · Ostrowski Lake 3 mi · Ebert Lake 3 mi · Stoltenburg Lake 4 mi · Lake Lime 4 mi · Meyers Lake 5 mi · Amherst Millpond 5 mi · Spring Lake 6 mi · Onland Lake 6 mi
See how Thomas Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best northern pike lakes in Wisconsin · best crappie lakes in Wisconsin · best bluegill lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Portage County fishing maps (48 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.