Fishing McNaughton Lake in Oneida County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Wisconsin holds McNaughton Lake, in Oneida County. The country round it is rolling bush from end to end. It measures about 121 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The edge runs 2.9 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Start from Rhinelander, 11 miles down the road. It is 114 miles to Green Bay, the nearest city. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on McNaughton Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Oneida County list brown trout, walleye, largemouth bass and northern pike. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. McNaughton Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 66°F and January near 10°F on the long-run figures. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. It sets the rhythm of the year at McNaughton Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Hawk Lake is 1.2 miles off. What applies at McNaughton Lake may have changed since it was mapped.