Little John Lake Fishing Guide, Vilas County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  You will find Little John Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. Around the bank it is mixed forest. Surface area is around 151 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The full circuit measures close to 2.8 miles on foot. It sits higher than most water we list in Wisconsin. Lac du Flambeau at 12 miles is the nearest place to stop. The big place round here is Green Bay, 130 miles distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Little John Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Vilas County list bluegill, yellow perch and walleye. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of Little John Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 66°F, with January the cold end at about 9°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Anyone fishing Little John Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is a slipway on the shore, half a mile from the water we list. Overnight stays are possible about half a mile out, where camping is mapped. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Little John Junior Lake sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. The position on Little John Lake is worth confirming on the day.