Fishing Sanford Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  In Wisconsin, Sanford Lake belongs to Vilas County. Elevation runs to 1,673 feet. It measures about 92 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Shoreline comes to about 2.1 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Compared with other Wisconsin water on our list, it sits high. Some 18 miles away sits Lac du Flambeau, the nearest settlement. The nearest city of size is Green Bay, 141 miles away. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Sanford Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Vilas County list bluegill, yellow perch and walleye. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Sanford Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 9°F to 65°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Sanford Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping records boating here as restricted to permit holders. A campsite is mapped about half a mile away, which makes an early start easier. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Borden Lake, 0.6 miles out. Confirm before you fish Sanford Lake.