Catfish Lake Fishing Guide, Vilas County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Catfish Lake sits in Vilas County, out in Wisconsin. The setting is lake country bush on every side. It measures some 1,120 acres, and wind has room to build across it. The edge covers about 9.6 miles, enough to hold several distinct areas. Size puts it in the front rank of our Vilas County list. Some 2.9 miles away sits Eagle River, the nearest settlement. It is 111 miles to Green Bay, the nearest city.

• Where to Fish on Catfish Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name bluegill, yellow perch, walleye and largemouth bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Catfish Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 66°F; the cold one sits at 10°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid April until roughly late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. On Catfish Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Boat moorings show in mapping some half a mile from here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. The nearest alternative is Meta Lake, 0.9 miles out. Check the position at Catfish Lake before loading the car.