Fishing at Cranberry Lake, Vilas County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Out in Vilas County, Wisconsin, sits Cranberry Lake. This is lake country bush country. Small at around 12 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for Vilas County are larger. Nearest place of any size is Wakefield, 13 miles away. The nearest city of size is Thunder Bay, 148 miles away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Cranberry Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Vilas County include bluegill, yellow perch, walleye and largemouth bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Read Cranberry Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 65°F; by January the average is down near 10°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Cranberry Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Spinnet Lake sits 0.2 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat Cranberry Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.