Fishing at Deerskin Lake, Vilas County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  You will find Deerskin Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. Rolling bush runs right down to the water. It measures some 301 acres, and wind has room to build across it. With 4.1 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Size puts it in the front rank of our Vilas County list. Eagle River sits 5.4 miles from here and is the nearest stop. The big place round here is Green Bay, 115 miles distant. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Deerskin Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Vilas County cover bluegill, yellow perch and walleye. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Take Deerskin Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 65°F in July and bottom out at 9°F in January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Open water usually runs from mid April until about late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Deerskin Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A made slipway is half a mile from here, which settles the boat question. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Finger Lake at 0.9 miles is the sensible second choice. Signs at Deerskin Lake carry more weight than any list.