Aspen Lake in Vilas County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Aspen Lake sits in Vilas County, out in Wisconsin. The land about it is mixed forest. About 21 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Wisconsin listings. Start from Eagle River, 7.6 miles down the road. Further out sit Rhinelander (23 miles) and Lac du Flambeau (24 miles). It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Aspen Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name bluegill, yellow perch, walleye, largemouth bass and rock bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Aspen Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 9°F to 65°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Aspen Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. A slipway is marked about half a mile from here. Mapping shows a jetty some half a mile off. The water borders Vilas County Forest- Mud Minnow Unit, so reserve rules are likely to apply. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Pickerel Lake is 0.7 miles distant. Ask locally about Aspen Lake if anything is unclear.