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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
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28-acre pond in Waushara County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 12 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
On the chart, Wautoma Pond draws 28 acres inside 2.1 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 2.8, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. The basin spans about 0.6 mi end to end and 0.3 mi across at its widest. The water lies in Waushara County. For a second option, Bughs Lake lies 2 mi southeast.
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 3 to 12 ft covers summer, 2 to 12 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: Main-lake point, a point in the 8 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 2 to 12 ft | dawn | Deep basin (10 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Early season yellow perch use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Even in summer they hold at 4 to 12 ft; winter keeps them in 4 to 12 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| 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 | 4 to 12 ft | dawn | Deep basin (10 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (10 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (10 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
In spring, northern pike run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 12 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 12 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage most summer days.
| 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 | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 12 ft, wintering in 4 to 12 ft. Spring largemouth bass concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 3 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (10 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 12 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 12 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 10 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| 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 | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (10 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dawn | Deep basin (10 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (10 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 12 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 12 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| 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 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (10 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Count 5 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 10 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 Wautoma Pond specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Wautoma Pond is about 12 ft (4 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 Wautoma Pond. 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. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each 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 Wautoma Pond 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.
Bughs Lake 2 mi · Turtle Lake 3 mi · Irogami Lake 3 mi · Witters Lake 3 mi · Silver Lake 3 mi · Meilke Lake 3 mi · Porters Lake 4 mi · White River Fl (Lower Pond) 4 mi · Round Lake 4 mi · Johns Lake 4 mi · West Branch Mill P.(White River) 4 mi · Beans Lake 4 mi
See how Wautoma Pond 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: Waushara County fishing maps (67 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.