Dead Pike Lake, Wisconsin: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Vilas County, Dead Pike Lake is a Wisconsin water. The setting is pine and birch. It measures some 309 acres, and wind has room to build across it. Shoreline length is close to 3.4 miles, and each section fishes a little differently. On our Vilas County list it sits near the top for size. You are 9.2 miles from Lac du Flambeau. For a city, Green Bay is 142 miles off. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Dead Pike Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. 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. Public occurrence data for Vilas County names bluegill, yellow perch and walleye. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. The near bank of Dead Pike Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 10°F in January to roughly 65°F in July. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about late November in an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Dead Pike Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Stepping Stone Lake Number 3, 0.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Dead Pike Lake before loading the car.