Fishing at Turtle Lake, Oneida County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Turtle Lake lies in Oneida County, Wisconsin. Country round the bank runs to mixed forest. It runs to roughly 52 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With about 1.2 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Nearest town is Rhinelander, 10 miles off. Green Bay sits 112 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Turtle Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name brown trout, walleye, largemouth bass and northern pike. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Turtle Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 66°F and January reads 10°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Turtle Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Cranberry Lake, 0.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Turtle Lake in particular, ask before you travel.