Bear Lake in Langlade County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Wisconsin, Bear Lake belongs to Langlade County. It sits in mixed forest. It covers about 17 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Antigo sits 5.4 miles from the bank. The nearest city of size is Green Bay, 68 miles away. Also worth knowing: Pleasant Lake 4.5 miles, Thompson Lake 5.2 miles off, Mud Lake 5.3 miles, Meyer Lake 5.4 miles off and Perch Lake 5.5 miles. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Bear Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Langlade County records list brown trout, rainbow trout, largemouth bass and bluegill among the fish reported. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. On Bear Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 67°F and January about 11°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. At Bear Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. 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 parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Pleasant Lake is 4.5 miles distant. Ask locally about Bear Lake if anything is unclear.