Fawn Lake in Vilas County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Wisconsin, Fawn Lake belongs to Vilas County. Elevation runs to 1,713 feet. It covers about 10 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Most waters listed here for Vilas County are larger. The town to know is Eagle River, 18 miles out. Iron River is 31 miles and Stambaugh, Iron River 32 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Fawn Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. 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. Treat Fawn Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 65°F in July and bottom out at 9°F in January. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. It holds true on Fawn Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Reserve land runs up to the bank here, so read the notices. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Big Bateau Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Fawn Lake.