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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
103-acre lake in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 16 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
The drawn water covers 103 acres wrapped in 1.6 miles of bank. At index 1.1 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. 90% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 0.6 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.4 mi at the beam. It sits in Sawyer County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Jacques Lake, is 1 mi to the northwest.
Spring rainbow trout on Windfall Lake hold shallow, usually 4 to 16 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 4 to 16 ft in summer, 3 to 16 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Shoreline break — drop-off, 7 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (7 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 4 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (7 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (7 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 3 to 16 ft | dawn | Shoreline break (7 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 5 to 16 ft before dropping to 5 to 16 ft for winter. Fall walleye concentrate at Shoreline break, a prime-rated drop-off around 7 ft. Fish it in the evening and early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Shoreline break (7 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dusk & dawn | Shoreline break (7 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dusk & night | Shoreline break (7 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (14 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: yellow perch in 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 5 to 16 ft before dropping to 5 to 16 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| 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 | 5 to 16 ft | dawn | Deep basin (14 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Deep basin (14 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (14 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
When the water first warms, northern pike slide up into 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 5 to 16 ft game here, winter a 5 to 15 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 bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage rigged through the warm months.
| 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 | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (7 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline break (7 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 |
Come spring, look for muskellunge tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 5 to 16 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 16 ft. Start at Shoreline break. It's a drop-off holding about 7 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in the evening and early morning. A double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) is the honest summer answer here.
| 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 | 5 to 16 ft | dusk & dawn | Shoreline break (7 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 4 to 16 ft | midday & dusk | Shoreline break (7 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Deep basin (14 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
When the water first warms, smallmouth bass slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 5 to 16 ft game here, winter a 5 to 16 ft one. Start at Shoreline break. It's a drop-off holding about 7 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline break (7 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline break (7 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Shoreline break (7 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Windfall Lake also holds largemouth bass (5 to 16 ft in summer), crappie (5 to 16 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.
Structure-wise the chart holds 4 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 14 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 Windfall Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Windfall Lake is about 16 ft (5 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, walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed on Windfall 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 7 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every 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 Windfall 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.
Jacques Lake 1 mi · South Lakes 2 mi · Murphy Lake 2 mi · South Lake, North 2 mi · Bass Lake 2 mi · White Birch Lake 3 mi · Villard Lake 3 mi · Miller Lake 4 mi · Hess Lake 5 mi · Weirgor Lake 7 mi · Grimh Flowage 7 mi · Radisson Flowage 7 mi
See how Windfall 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: Sawyer County fishing maps (184 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.