Cave Lake, Wisconsin: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Cave Lake is set in Oconto County, Wisconsin. The surface lies 1,257 feet up. The water measures roughly 17 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Supplies mean a trip to Legend Lake, 25 miles off. Further out sit Keshena (26 miles) and Crandon (27 miles). The nearest boundary is a fair way off. It gives up fish to patience rather than to gear.

• Where to Fish on Cave Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Oconto County: brown trout, largemouth bass and bluegill. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. On Cave Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 67°F and January reads 12°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly late November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Time your trip to Cave Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• 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. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Small Bass Lakes is 0.3 miles distant. Check the position on Cave Lake before loading the car.