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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
138-acre lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 29 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Upper Sugarbush Lake maps at 138 acres behind 2.8 miles of shoreline. A middling shoreline index (1.7) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 72% of this chart, as modeled. End to end it runs roughly 0.9 mi, about 0.4 mi across. It sits in Vilas County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Little Sugarbush Lake, is 1 mi to the southeast.
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 9 to 29 ft; cold water stacks them in 9 to 29 ft. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 13 ft range, prime in fall. Fish it in the evening and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 9 to 29 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (13 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 9 to 29 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (13 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 9 to 29 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Spring puts yellow perch in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 9 to 29 ft; cold water stacks them in 9 to 29 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| 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 | 9 to 29 ft | dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 9 to 29 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 9 to 29 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (25 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring northern pike on Upper Sugarbush Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage.
| 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 | Break off the point (13 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (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 |
Spring muskellunge on Upper Sugarbush Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 9 to 29 ft. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 13 ft, prime for fall. Prime time lands in the evening and early morning. The summer box starts with a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 8 to 29 ft | midday & dusk | Break off the point (13 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 9 to 29 ft | midday | Deep basin (25 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Spring smallmouth bass on Upper Sugarbush Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 9 to 29 ft in summer and finish the year down in 9 to 29 ft. Put Main-lake point first on the milk run — a point near 8 ft that grades prime for fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 9 to 29 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (13 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 9 to 29 ft | midday | Break off the point (13 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 9 to 29 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 3 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| 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 | Break off the point (13 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 9 to 29 ft | midday | Break off the point (13 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Upper Sugarbush Lake also holds crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Count 6 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 25 ft.
Access data: Wisconsin DNR - Boat Access Sites, Shore Fishing Sites, and DNR Parking Lots. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Wisconsin waters are set by the Wisconsin DNR — and special regulations can apply to Upper Sugarbush Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Upper Sugarbush Lake is about 29 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 walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed on Upper Sugarbush 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.
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. The interactive chart above rates every 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 Upper Sugarbush 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.
Little Sugarbush Lake 1 mi · Middle Sugarbush Lake 1 mi · Big Crooked Lake 1 mi · Zee Lake 1 mi · Sunfish Lake 1 mi · Lower Sugarbush Lake 2 mi · Muskesin Lake 2 mi · Little Sand Lake 2 mi · Eagle Lake 2 mi · Little Trout Lake 2 mi · Signal Lake 3 mi · Grey Lake 3 mi
See how Upper Sugarbush Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best smallmouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best walleye lakes in Wisconsin · best northern pike 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.