Ethel Lake, Wisconsin: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Ethel Lake is listed under Vilas County, Wisconsin. Everything around it is lake country bush. About 17 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. It is a small entry by Vilas County standards. Eagle River is the closest place, 16 miles off. The nearest city of size is Green Bay, 129 miles away. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Ethel Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across Vilas County, recorded fish include bluegill, yellow perch, walleye, largemouth bass and rock bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Read Ethel Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 9°F in January and 65°F in July. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Ethel Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. There is a mapped slipway roughly half a mile away. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. George Lake sits 0.4 miles off and takes the overflow. The position on Ethel Lake is worth confirming on the day.