Fishing at Sunset Lake, Portage County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  This water sits in Portage County, Wisconsin. The bank is 1,106 feet above sea level. Surface area is around 65 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. About 1.2 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. It is among the larger waters listed here for Portage County. 6.5 miles away sits Amherst, the nearest town. For a city, Green Bay is 62 miles off. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Sunset Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Portage County records list brown trout, rainbow trout, common carp, bluegill and northern pike among the fish reported. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Sunset Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 69°F and January about 13°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Break-up comes around early April, and the run that follows is short and strong. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early April and starts locking again about early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Sunset Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Minister Lake is 0.4 miles distant. For Sunset Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.