Mudhen Lake Fishing near Rhinelander, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Mudhen Lake stands in Oneida County, Wisconsin. Elevation runs to 1,568 feet. Surface area runs to about 23 acres — small enough to read in one session. You are 7.3 miles from Rhinelander. Eagle River is 16 miles away, with Tomahawk at 22 miles. Nearby alternatives: McCabe Lake some 0.7 miles off, 1.6 miles out stands Douglas Lake, Frick Lake some 1.6 miles off, 1.6 miles out stands West Spider Lake and Kate Pier Lake some 1.7 miles off. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Mudhen Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Oneida County records list brown trout, walleye and largemouth bass among the fish reported. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Anyone new to Mudhen Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 66°F and January near 10°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. Open water usually runs from mid April until about late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan around that when you fish Mudhen Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. 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 access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, McCabe Lake is 0.7 miles distant. Rules at Mudhen Lake are worth checking on the day.