Gates Lake, Wisconsin: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Gates Lake stands in Price County, Wisconsin. Around the bank it is mixed forest. At about 87 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. A shoreline of some 1.4 miles keeps the choices simple. You are 9.4 miles from Park Falls. After that come Phillips at 10 miles and Lac du Flambeau at 22 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Gates Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Fish documented in Price County include yellow perch, walleye, northern pike, bluegill and brown trout. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Fish Gates Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 66°F and January near 10°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about late November in an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Gates Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Nichols Lake is 0.9 miles distant. Signs at Gates Lake carry more weight than any list.