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Below the Kilbourn Dam through the Dells to Portage. The river tops out around 12 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 1,526 acres, worked by 43.8 miles of shoreline. An index of 8 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. The basin spans about 17.4 mi end to end and 2.8 mi across at its widest. Columbia County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Corning Lake, is 4 mi to the northwest.
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 4 to 12 ft covers summer, 4 to 12 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Kilbourn Dam tailrace, a dam tailrace in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. 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 | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Kilbourn Dam tailrace (10 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Kilbourn Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dusk & night | Kilbourn Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Kilbourn Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Start shallow in spring: sauger sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 4 to 12 ft covers summer, 4 to 12 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: Kilbourn Dam tailrace, a dam tailrace in the 10 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a bottom bouncer + crawler or a 3-way rig with stickbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Kilbourn Dam tailrace (10 ft) | 3/8 oz jig + ringworm, Hair jig + minnow |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Kilbourn Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Bottom bouncer + crawler, 3-way rig with stickbait |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Kilbourn Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Jig + big minnow, Blade bait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | dusk | Kilbourn Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Heavy jigging spoon, Jig + minnow (vertical) |
Spring smallmouth bass on Wisconsin River (Dells) hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 4 to 12 ft in summer, 4 to 12 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Current seam (mile 14.3) — current seam, 7 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in 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 | Current seam (mile 14.3) (7 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 14.3) (7 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Current seam (mile 14.3) (7 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Current seam (mile 14.3) (7 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring white bass & hybrids on Wisconsin River (Dells) hold shallow, usually 2 to 12 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 4 to 12 ft in summer, 4 to 12 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Kilbourn Dam tailrace — dam tailrace, 10 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Kilbourn Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Kilbourn Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Kilbourn Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Kilbourn Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Early season channel catfish 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 Outside-bend hole (mile 3.1) first on the milk run — a creek channel near 9 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 0.3) (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 3.1) (9 ft) | |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 3.1) (9 ft) | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 3.1) (9 ft) |
Early season flathead catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 12 ft; winter keeps them in 4 to 12 ft. The chart's best answer is Tailout eddy (mile 0.3) — eddy pocket, 7 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 0.3) (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 0.3) (7 ft) | |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 0.3) (7 ft) | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 0.3) (7 ft) |
Wisconsin River (Dells) also holds crappie (4 to 12 ft in summer), freshwater drum (3 to 12 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 to 12 ft in summer), common carp (2 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Wisconsin River (Dells) carries 11 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Kilbourn Dam tailrace, about 10 ft down.
Access data: Wisconsin DNR — Boat Access Sites. 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 Wisconsin River (Dells) specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Wisconsin River (Dells) 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 walleye, sauger, smallmouth bass, white bass & hybrids, channel catfish, flathead catfish, crappie, freshwater drum, longnose gar, common carp on Wisconsin River (Dells).
Kilbourn Dam tailrace is the top-rated area: a dam tailrace in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for sauger in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by 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 Wisconsin River (Dells) 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.
Corning Lake 4 mi · Weeting Lake 4 mi · Amey Pond 5 mi · Little Lake 5 mi · Mason Lake 6 mi · Big Spring Pond 6 mi · Silver Lake 7 mi · Delton Lake 8 mi · Lake of the Dells 8 mi · Blass Lake 9 mi · Mirror Lake 11 mi · French Creek Wla Pool No. 2 11 mi
See how Wisconsin River (Dells) stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best walleye lakes in Wisconsin · best sauger lakes in Wisconsin · best crappie lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Columbia County fishing maps (19 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.