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

• Overview

  In Wisconsin, Rice Lake belongs to Vilas County. Land around it is lake country bush. This is a pocket water of some 11 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Our Vilas County list holds plenty of bigger water. The nearest place of any size is Lac du Flambeau, 15 miles away. The big place round here is Green Bay, 141 miles distant. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Vilas County list bluegill, yellow perch and walleye. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. The shape of Rice Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 65°F in July and bottoms out near 9°F in January. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about late November in an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That shapes the year on Rice Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Keego Lake, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Rice Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.