McGee Lake, Wisconsin: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  McGee Lake lies within the bounds of Langlade County, Wisconsin. The country round it is pine and birch from end to end. Antigo lies 13 miles from the water. Then Keshena, 22 miles, and Legend Lake, 24 miles. Other water nearby: Leonard Nixon Springs the better part of 0.4 miles, Clubhouse Springpond roughly 0.9 miles, Mable Lake the better part of 0.9 miles, Pine Springs roughly 1.3 miles and Karbergers Springs the better part of 1.3 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on McGee Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. County-wide records name brown trout, rainbow trout, largemouth bass, bluegill and yellow perch. The county list is broader than any single water. At McGee Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 67°F, with January the cold end at about 11°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about late November in a typical year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That shapes the year on McGee Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. The nearest alternative is Leonard Nixon Springs, 0.4 miles out. Rules at McGee Lake are worth checking on the day.