Bolger Lake Fishing near Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Bolger Lake sits in Oneida County, out in Wisconsin. The bank is 1,581 feet above sea level. With some 115 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The nearest town is Lac du Flambeau, 12 miles away. For a city, Green Bay is 123 miles off. Water in the same corner: McNutt Lake sits 0.5 miles out, Berry Lake some 0.7 miles off, Papkee Lake sits 0.9 miles out, Baker Lake some 1 mile off and Schlecht Lake sits 1.3 miles out. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Bolger Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Oneida County records list brown trout, walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Bolger Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 66°F in July and bottoms out near 9°F in January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Expect Bolger Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Mapping shows a ramp about half a mile from the shore. There is a car park half a mile from the bank. This falls in or next to protected ground, so rules will be tighter than usual. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Failing this one, try McNutt Lake, 0.5 miles away. Nothing here settles the position at Bolger Lake for certain.