Silver Lake in Manitowoc County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Silver Lake stands in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. The surface lies 705 feet up. It measures about 72 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 1.8 miles on foot. On our Manitowoc County list it sits near the top for size. Manitowoc is the closest place, 4.2 miles off. It is 34 miles to Green Bay, the nearest city. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Silver Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Manitowoc County cover brown trout, rainbow trout and common carp. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Silver Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 69°F for July and 18°F for January. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Winter locks it down, and early April brings it back. The water is typically free of ice between early April and mid December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Silver Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Kasbaum Lake is 0.7 miles distant. What applies at Silver Lake may have changed since it was mapped.