Alta Lake Fishing in Langlade County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Alta Lake lies in Langlade County, Wisconsin. The surroundings are pine and birch. This is a pocket water of some 9 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is high ground by Wisconsin standards. 14 miles away sits Antigo, the nearest town. Beyond it, Nashville at 15 miles and Crandon at 21 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Alta Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Langlade County cover brown trout, rainbow trout, largemouth bass and bluegill. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The shape of Alta Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 10°F in January and 66°F in July. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. On Alta Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. A car park lies half a mile away, so the walk in is short. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Susan Lake, 0.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Alta Lake may have changed since it was mapped.