Otter Lake Fishing near Wakefield, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Otter Lake belongs to Vilas County, Wisconsin. Elevation runs to 1,637 feet. This is a pocket water of some 5 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is a small entry by Vilas County standards. The town to know is Wakefield, 12 miles out. Bessemer follows at 13 miles, then Ironwood at 14 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Otter Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Vilas County include bluegill, yellow perch, walleye and largemouth bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Otter Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 65°F on average, January about 10°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. On Otter Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is Hewitt Lake, 0.6 miles out. Nothing on Otter Lake should be assumed from this page alone.