Hoist Lake Fishing Guide, Oneida County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Hoist Lake belongs to Oneida County, Wisconsin. Height above sea level is 1,585 feet. At 9 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Most waters listed here for Oneida County are larger. Head to Rhinelander, 3.5 miles away, for anything you forgot. Beyond it, Tomahawk at 16 miles and Nashville at 23 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Hoist Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Oneida County cover brown trout, walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Hoist Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 67°F and January about 10°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Hoist Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Prune Lake at 1.1 miles is the sensible second choice. Treat access at Hoist Lake as something to verify.