Rinehart Lake Fishing Guide, Portage County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Look for Rinehart Lake in Portage County, Wisconsin. Everything around it is mixed forest. It measures about 43 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 1.0 miles on foot. Amherst is the closest place, 4.8 miles off. Further out sit Iola (6.8 miles) and King (14 miles). The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Rinehart Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Portage County: brown trout, rainbow trout, common carp and bluegill. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Anyone new to Rinehart Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 13°F in January up to 69°F in July. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Once it clears, about early April, the fishing comes on quickly. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about early December. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. It holds true on Rinehart Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Onland Lake at 0.5 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat Rinehart Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.