Fishing at Statenaker Lake, Vilas County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Statenaker Lake falls in Vilas County, part of Wisconsin. It stands 1,608 feet above sea level. At about 205 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The shoreline runs about 3.8 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Few waters listed in Vilas County are bigger. 5.7 miles away sits Lac du Flambeau, the nearest town. It is 132 miles to Green Bay, the nearest city. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Statenaker Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Vilas County, recorded fish include bluegill, yellow perch and walleye. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Statenaker Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 65°F at the top of summer and 9°F at the bottom of winter. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. The season on Statenaker Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Plummer Lake, 0.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Statenaker Lake carry more weight than any list.