Graf Lake Fishing near Kiel, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Graf Lake sits within Manitowoc County in Wisconsin. Height above sea level is 873 feet. At roughly 7 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Start from Kiel, 3.4 miles down the road. Then New Holstein, 5.2 miles, and Meeme, 7.6 miles. More in the same country: Prueder Lake within 0.4 miles, Shoe Lake lies 0.4 miles on, Mud Lake within 1.7 miles, Sy Lake lies 2.2 miles on and Wilke Lake within 2.3 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Graf Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Open biodiversity records for Manitowoc County list brown trout, rainbow trout, common carp and Chinook salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Graf Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 70°F and January about 17°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early April. The water is typically free of ice between early April and early December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. The season on Graf Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Prueder Lake sits 0.4 miles off and takes the overflow. What applies at Graf Lake may have changed since it was mapped.