Waterville Lake

If you are looking at Waterville Lake, you are looking at a Waukesha County lake with published numbers of about 76 acres and a maximum depth of 12 feet, which helps keep the first trip simple instead of turning it into a giant guessing game.

Size, depth, and the lay of the lake

The first trip does not need a giant tackle plan and I would make sure I actually fish shoreline cover, weed edges, and the first clean drop away from the bank because the goal on day one is to learn a pattern, not prove you can fish the entire shoreline.

The fishery on paper

Recorded species at Waterville Lake include Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Perch; which tells me to think about weeds, wood, rock, or docks for bass and weeds and easy cover for panfish, and keep one good idea at a time instead of changing everything.

My game plan

If I had a few hours to figure out Waterville Lake, I would spend less time changing lures and more time noticing depth, cover, water color, and where bait is showing, and I would make sure the current DNR rules match the species I am actually fishing for.