Deer Lake in Forest County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Forest County, Wisconsin, this is Deer Lake. Elevation runs to 1,539 feet. This is a pocket water of some 15 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Crandon lies 12 miles from the water. Nashville lies 14 miles off, Antigo another 25 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Deer Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Reported across Forest County: brown trout, largemouth bass and yellow perch. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. On Deer Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 11°F in January up to 66°F in July. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Anyone fishing Deer Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Mud Lake is 0.2 miles distant. Treat Deer Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.