Vickham Lake in Lincoln County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Vickham Lake is one of the Lincoln County listings for Wisconsin. Pine and birch runs right down to the water. It sits higher than most water we list in Wisconsin. The closest town, Rhinelander, is 8.8 miles distant. Then Tomahawk, 16 miles, and Nashville, 19 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank. Nothing about the approach is difficult in dry weather.

• Where to Fish on Vickham Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Species logged across Lincoln County include brown trout, rainbow trout, pumpkinseed and walleye. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Vickham Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 66°F and January at 10°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid April until roughly late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Vickham Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is Gillette Lake, 0.4 miles out. Treat Vickham Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.