Fishing at Reno Lake, Lincoln County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Reno Lake is one of the Lincoln County listings for Wisconsin. Everything around it is pine and birch. Small at around 22 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Supplies mean a trip to Tomahawk, 10 miles off. Rhinelander follows at 10 miles, then Merrill at 25 miles. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Reno Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Lincoln County cover brown trout, rainbow trout, pumpkinseed and walleye. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. On Reno Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 10°F and July at about 67°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Reno Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Capitola Lake, 0.9 miles out. Nothing here settles the position at Reno Lake for certain.