Fishing at Lower Range Lake, Oconto County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Set in Oconto County, Wisconsin, this is Lower Range Lake. Elevation runs to 1,211 feet. The water measures roughly 5 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. It is a small entry by Oconto County standards. Supplies mean a trip to Legend Lake, 26 miles off. Then Keshena, 26 miles, and Crandon, 27 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lower Range Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Species logged across Oconto County include brown trout, largemouth bass, bluegill and yellow perch. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Take Lower Range Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 67°F and January near 12°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. On Lower Range Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Upper Range Lake at 0.1 miles is the nearest alternative. For Lower Range Lake in particular, ask before you travel.