Ice fishing in Wisconsin is a popular activity in the winter months. Due to its location, WI is one of the best places to go ice fishing in the US.

Ice fishing is such a big thing in Wisconsin, that it accounts for a quarter of all fishing in the state. The gear you need to go ice fishing is very basic, apart from the tools you’ll need to make the hole in the ice.

A simple rod, reel and hook are all you need. When it comes to what type of bait you should use, that depends mostly on what kind of fish is in the lake or river.

Ice Fishing Guides:

 

Before we go through the best places to go ice fishing in Wisconsin, I’d like to go through some common questions about ice fishing in WI.

When Can You Start Ice Fishing in Wisconsin?

Many lakes and river pools get frozen from mid-November and, luckily, they’ll stay like that until early April. But as a rule of thumb, you can go ice fishing from December to late March. During this period the ice is still thick enough to maintain safety.

What Fish Do You Catch Ice Fishing in Wisconsin?

As for what you can catch, it depends mostly on where you go ice fishing. The most popular catches among locals are bluegill, northern pike, walleye, and yellow perch, but largemouth bass, brown trout, rainbow trout, and white bass are also very sought after.

Best places to go ice fishing in Wisconsin

Do You Need a License for Ice Fishing in Wisconsin?

In Wisconsin, the fishing population is protected. so a license is one way to control the fishing population and ensure that anglers have little impact.

If you’re 16 years of age or older, and want to fish anywhere in the state, you will need a license to go ice fishing in Wisconsin, no matter if you live in the state or not.

The only exceptions to that are if you’re in a group of disabled individuals on an excursion promoted by a non-profit organization and, outside of the ice fishing season, if you’re fishing on a “free fishing” weekend, which takes place on the first Saturday and Sunday of June.

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There are several types of licenses, with the annual fishing license costing $20 for WI residents and $50 for non-residents.

The Wisconsin fishing license can be bought online on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website.

The Best Places For Ice Fishing In Wisconsin

Black Oak Lake

Located in Vilas County, this 564-acre lake is one of the most beautiful places to go ice fishing in Wisconsin. The surrounding area is beautiful in the wintertime.

Black Oak Lake has the clearest waters in the whole of Wisconsin with fantastic visibility, even in winter. When the ice is completely bare, you can even see the fish swimming  below underneath the ice layer.

Ice fishing in Wisconsin: largemouth bass

At Black Oak Lake you’ll be able to catch bluegill, perch, northern pike, panfish, largemouth and smallmouth bass.

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Dairyland Reservoir

The northwest part of the state has several important rivers, with Jump, Thornapple, and the Flambeau River being the most noteworthy ones. Dairyland Reservoir is part of the Flambeau River, in Rusk County.

This place is very much sought after by ice fishermen, for its waters teeming with fish of different species.

At Dairyland Reservoir, you’ll catch pike, bass, walleye, and panfish.

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Lake Alice

Located in northern Wisconsin, Lake Alice is in the Tomahawk River drainage. This is the place to catch walleyes and huge crappies in the early part of the ice fishing season.

It’s not one of the easiest places to go ice fishing, but the fact it’s teeming with crappies makes it worth giving it a go.

As you can already imagine, Lake Alice is the place to catch crappies.

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Beaver Dam Reservoir

Beaver Dam Reservoir is located in southeast Wisconsin and is one of the largest lakes in the state. This 6,500-acre lake is home to several species of fish and is a good fishing spot all year round.

The lake shores offer anglers all the amenities necessary, including lodging, convenience stores, restaurants.

The most common ice fishing catches here are largemouth bass, pike, walleye, bluegill, and yellow perch.

Ice fishing in Wisconsin: crappies

Boom Lake

This enormous body of water located by Rhinelander is another great spot to go ice fishing in the state. One of the reasons is the fact you have all amenities you need for a comfortable ice fishing getaway.

Boom Lake is a great place to catch musky, panfish, walleye, bass, and northern pike.

These are just some of the best spots, but Wisconsin has many places to go ice fishing spread all over the lakes and rivers around the state.

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Pedro has travelled to almost 120 countries and has made his nest in London. He has also lived in Spain, Australia, the US, Georgia and Turkey. A former hotel management professional, he loves exploring local cultures, is now learning his 8th language and has a soft spot for the Middle East and the CIS countries.