Pickerel Lake Fishing near Eagle River, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Pickerel Lake is one of the Vilas County waters in Wisconsin. This is mixed forest ground. The water covers around 277 acres, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. The perimeter runs near 4.1 miles, so plan the walk before you start. It ranks high for size among our Vilas County listings. You are 8.3 miles from Eagle River. The big place round here is Green Bay, 121 miles distant. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Pickerel Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. 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. Across Vilas County, recorded fish include bluegill, yellow perch and walleye. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. The shape of Pickerel Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 9°F in January to roughly 65°F in July. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan around that when you fish Pickerel Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is a mapped landing stage half a mile away. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Aspen Lake is 0.7 miles off. None of that is settled for Pickerel Lake in what we hold.