Marlands Lake in Vilas County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Marlands Lake lies within the bounds of Vilas County, Wisconsin. The setting is mixed forest on every side. Small at around 9 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. On size it sits at the modest end of our Vilas County list. The closest town, Lac du Flambeau, is 3.9 miles away. After that come Eagle River at 27 miles and Rhinelander at 29 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Marlands Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across Vilas County, recorded fish include bluegill, yellow perch, walleye, largemouth bass and rock bass. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. On Marlands Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 9°F to 65°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Anyone fishing Marlands Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Bolton Lake at 0.6 miles is the nearest alternative. Where Marlands Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.