Fishing Lower Buckatabon Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Vilas County, Wisconsin, is where Lower Buckatabon Lake sits. This is pine and birch country. This is sizeable water at about 379 acres, and a boat opens up most of it. Size puts it in the front rank of our Vilas County list. Eagle River lies 8.5 miles from the water. Further out sit Rhinelander (27 miles) and Lac du Flambeau (28 miles). The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lower Buckatabon Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Open biodiversity records for Vilas County list bluegill, yellow perch, walleye, largemouth bass and rock bass. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Lower Buckatabon Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 65°F and January at 9°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Lower Buckatabon Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Pollack Lake is 0.8 miles distant. Check the current arrangement for Lower Buckatabon Lake.