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

• Overview

  This water sits in Vilas County, Wisconsin. Elevation runs to 1,617 feet. With some 109 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The whole outline is near 1.8 miles, and most of it is walkable. Supplies mean a trip to Eagle River, 8.4 miles off. Further out sit Rhinelander (19 miles) and Lac du Flambeau (23 miles). It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Finley Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Vilas County include bluegill, yellow perch, walleye and largemouth bass. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Read Finley Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 66°F in July and bottoms out near 9°F in January. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. It holds true on Finley Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A camping area sits within half a mile of here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Alma Lake at 0.5 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm access to Finley Lake locally before you travel.