Fishing Zottle Lake in Oneida County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Zottle Lake belongs to Oneida County, Wisconsin. Beyond the shoreline you have lake country bush. Around 27 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Roughly 0.9 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. For supplies, Rhinelander is 16 miles out. The nearest city of size is Green Bay, 119 miles away. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Zottle Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Oneida County names brown trout, walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. On Zottle Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 66°F and January at 9°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near late November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. That is the shape of the year on Zottle Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Miller Lake is 0.7 miles off. None of that is settled for Zottle Lake in what we hold.