Anient Lake in Lincoln County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Anient Lake is one of the Lincoln County listings for Wisconsin. The country round it is pine and birch from end to end. This is a pocket water of some 11 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Start from Merrill, 8.3 miles down the road. The big place round here is Green Bay, 94 miles distant. Other water nearby: Nelson Lake 1 mile, Ackerman Lake at 1.1 miles, Oak Lake 1.1 miles, Horn Lake at 1.3 miles and Knight Lake 1.3 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Anient Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Species logged across Lincoln County include brown trout, rainbow trout and pumpkinseed. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. On Anient Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 10°F in January to roughly 67°F in July. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That shapes the year on Anient Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Nelson Lake, 1 mile away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Anient Lake before loading the car.