Fishing Witches Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Witches Lake is one of the Vilas County listings for Wisconsin. This is pine and birch ground. It runs to roughly 32 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 1.9 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It is high ground by Wisconsin standards. You are 15 miles from Lac du Flambeau. Eagle River follows at 17 miles, then Rhinelander at 25 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Witches Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Vilas County cover bluegill, yellow perch, walleye, largemouth bass and rock bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Witches Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 65°F, the coldest about 9°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Expect Witches Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. West Plum Lake, 1.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Witches Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.