Boot Lake near Wakefield: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Boot Lake lies in Vilas County, in Wisconsin. The bank is 1,650 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 31 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Compared with other Wisconsin water on our list, it sits high. Start from Wakefield, 18 miles down the road. The big place round here is Green Bay, 146 miles distant. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Boot Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Vilas County records list bluegill, yellow perch, walleye, largemouth bass and rock bass among the fish reported. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Boot Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 65°F in July and bottoms out near 10°F in January. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan around that when you fish Boot Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Minonk Lake is 0.9 miles off. Treat access at Boot Lake as something to verify.