Fishing Van Zile Lake in Forest County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Van Zile Lake sits within Forest County in Wisconsin. Around the bank it is pine and birch. Roughly 78 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. About 1.6 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. 15 miles away sits Crandon, the nearest town. Nashville lies 22 miles off, Stambaugh, Iron River another 25 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Van Zile Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Forest County list brown trout, largemouth bass, yellow perch, northern pike and bluegill. The county list is broader than any single water. Read Van Zile Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 65°F, the coldest about 10°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. It sets the rhythm of the year at Van Zile Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is Little Van Zile Lake, 0.6 miles out. Signs at Van Zile Lake carry more weight than any list.