Fishing at Mattrich Lake, Oconto County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Look for Mattrich Lake in the Oconto County part of Wisconsin. It sits at 804 feet above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 13 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is low-lying compared with other Wisconsin water we list. The closest town, Oconto Falls, is 20 miles away. Gillett is 20 miles away, with Peshtigo at 21 miles. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Mattrich Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Oconto County records list brown trout, largemouth bass, bluegill and yellow perch among the fish reported. The county list is broader than any single water. Mattrich Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 69°F at the top of summer and 13°F at the bottom of winter. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Mattrich Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. 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. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Little Nelligan Lake sits 0.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Mattrich Lake as something to verify.