Best Places to Fish in Wisconsin: Shawano Lake

By Jon Giacalone
Fishidy

Shawano Lake is a drainage lake about a half-hour north of Green Bay. The lake receives heavy recreational boating traffic on weekends and holidays, which sometimes causes delays at the boat landings and can make fishing at peak times difficult.

Certain areas of the Shawano Lake Outlet and the Washington Lake Channel are posted as no-wake zones. The Shawano Lake Owners Association maintains a number of weed cutters to provide clear boating lanes marked with buoys in areas that develop heavy submergent weed growth.

Muskie, walleye and northern pike move through the Shawano Lake Outlet into the Wolf River during the spring spawning period. A significant number of lake sturgeon move up the Wolf River and concentrate below the paper mill dam in the city of Shawano in early spring. To protect this spawning population, the area below the dam is designated as a fish refuge area from April 15 through May 15.

Both the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Figure “8” Muskie Club stock muskie into the lake. The DNR stocks every other year, while the club stocks annually.

Interactive Lake Map

For a more detailed lake map and up-to-the-minute fishing reports, follow the Shawano Lake waterway page on Fishidy.

Here are some tips for locating and catching fish in Shawano Lake:

• Through the summer months, weed growth in many areas of the lake can become extremely thick, and locating bass can become a challenge. Docks, reed beds, weed flats and deep weedlines can all be productive. Natural-colored Texas-rigged worms are suggested for working under docks and through the thick weeds.
• A presentation that can be worked quickly to locate scattered fish is usually more effective for fishing the shallow weed flats. During periods of stable weather, buzzbaits, prop-baits and poppers are productive over the weeds.
• During summer and fall, crappie typically suspend in the eight- to 14-foot depths adjacent to submerged weeds. Crappie also remain active feeders throughout winter and are popular with ice fishermen.
• Northern pike often are present in many of the same areas as largemouth bass, with deep weed edges and flats providing the most consistent action. Red and white spoons, tandem-blade spinnerbaits and crankbaits are preferred offerings. During summer and fall, the larger pike usually are associated with deep weed edges.
• During summer, work the steep drop-off just north of Cecil Point for walleye. Concentrate on the sharp inside turns and points.

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