Wheeler Lake in Oconto County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Wheeler Lake in the Oconto County part of Wisconsin. Everything around it is rolling bush. At some 302 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. The margin runs to about 3.5 miles in total. It is among the larger waters listed here for Oconto County. Crandon sits 27 miles from here and is the nearest stop. For a city, Green Bay is 60 miles off. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Wheeler Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Records held for Oconto County cover brown trout, largemouth bass and bluegill. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Wheeler Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 67°F and January at 12°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That is the shape of the year on Wheeler Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Birch Lake sits 0.6 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Wheeler Lake in what we hold.