Fishing Second Lake in Oneida County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Set in Oneida County, Second Lake is a Wisconsin water. The surface lies 1,562 feet up. It runs to roughly 104 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The nearest town is Rhinelander, 5.7 miles away. For a city, Green Bay is 101 miles off. Round about: 0.6 miles out stands Sunset Lake, Moen Lake out at 0.6 miles, 0.7 miles out stands Third Lake, Del Stengl Lake out at 0.9 miles and 1.1 miles out stands Snowden Lake. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Second Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Oneida County include brown trout, walleye, largemouth bass and northern pike. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Second Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 66°F and January near 10°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Anyone fishing Second Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Sunset Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Second Lake before loading the car.