Fishing Plum Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Plum Lake is one of the Vilas County waters in Wisconsin. It sits in mixed forest country. About 1,058 acres, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. It ranks high for size among our Vilas County listings. Eagle River lies 14 miles from the water. After that come Lac du Flambeau at 18 miles and Rhinelander at 26 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Plum Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Survey and observation records for Vilas County include bluegill, yellow perch and walleye. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Anyone new to Plum Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 9°F and July at about 65°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Anyone fishing Plum Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Parking is close: a car park sits half a mile from the bank. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Hobo Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Plum Lake in what we hold.