Pauto Lake near Lac du Flambeau: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Pauto Lake is a Vilas County water, in Wisconsin. It lies 1,631 feet above sea level. It covers about 18 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Vilas County. Supplies mean a trip to Lac du Flambeau, 8.9 miles off. Green Bay sits 130 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Pauto Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Vilas County include bluegill, yellow perch, walleye, largemouth bass and rock bass. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. The shape of Pauto Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 65°F at the top of summer and 9°F at the bottom of winter. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Pauto Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Punch Lake sits 0.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Pauto Lake for certain.