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

• Overview

  You will find Baker Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. This is lake country bush country. It measures about 37 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 1.0 miles on foot. It is high ground by Wisconsin standards. Supplies mean a trip to Eagle River, 12 miles off. Lac du Flambeau follows at 27 miles, then Rhinelander at 30 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Baker Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Vilas County cover bluegill, yellow perch, walleye, largemouth bass and rock bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Baker Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 9°F in January up to 65°F in July. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It sets the rhythm of the year at Baker Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Nudist Lake, 0.6 miles away. Confirm before you fish Baker Lake.