Boulder Junction, WI

Boulder Junction is home to some outstanding fishing with so many good lakes to fish.  The Northern Highland Fishery Research Area is a popular area for anglers.  Most anglers come here to fish Escanaba Lake or Pallette Lake, but you can also do well on Nebish Lake, Lost Canoe Lake or Spruce Lake.  Some of the other area lakes are home to some very good fishing for smallmouth bass, walleye, muskie and panfish.

View by Species of Fish
Walleye, Northern Pike, Muskie, LM Bass, SM Bass

Area Waters

Northern Highland Fishery Research Area

The Northern Highland Fishery Research Area is an experimental project of the DNR which has been going on since 1946.  It includes Escanaba, Nebish, Mystery, Spruce and Pallette Lakes.  To fish these lakes, you need to visit the station on Escanaba Lake and fill out a free permit.  You will also have to go back to the station at the end of the day to give them the details of what you caught as well as what fish you are taking home.

Escanaba Lake

Escanaba Lake is a 303 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 26 feet.  Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing.  Fish include muskie, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, walleye are abundant in this lake.  Muskie, largemouth bass and panfish are considered common in the lake.  Northern pike are listed as present.  The DNR website doesn’t mention smallmouth bass, but they are in Escanaba Lake as well.

Lost Canoe Lake

Lost Canoe Lake is a 279 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 41 feet.  Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing.  Fish include muskie, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish are common in this lake.  Muskie and smallmouth bass are listed as present.

Nebish Lake

Nebish Lake is a 93 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 52 feet.  Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing.  Fish include smallmouth bass and panfish.  Smallmouth bass are abundant in this lake.  It is more of an action lake, but if you’re looking to catch a lot of smallmouth bass, Nebish Lake is a good one to fish.

Pallette Lake

Pallette Lake is a 180 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 60 feet.  Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing.  Fish include northern pike, smallmouth bass and panfish.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, smallmouth bass and panfish are common in this lake.  Northern pike are listed as present.

Spruce lake

Spruce Lake is a 16 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 16 feet.  Fish include panfish and largemouth bass.  Panfish are abundant and largemouth bass are common in the lake.  It is a carry-in boat landing at the bottom of a hill.  It isn’t the easiest place to get a boat into, but the canoe slide does help you get your canoes and kayaks down to the water.

Other Lakes

Allequash Lake

Allequash Lake is a 406 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 24 feet.  Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing.  Fish include muskie, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, panfish are abundant in this lake.  Muskie, northern pike, walleye and largemouth bass are considered common in the lake.  Smallmouth bass are listed as present.

Boulder Lake

Boulder Lake is a 516 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 23 feet.  Visitors have access to the lake from 2 public boat landings.  Fish include muskie, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, walleye are abundant in this lake.  Muskie and panfish are considered common in the lake.  Northern pike, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are listed as present.

Fishtrap Lake

Fishtrap Lake is a 339 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 34 feet.  Fish include muskie, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, muskie, walleye, largemouth bass and panfish are common in this lake.  Smallmouth bass and northern pike are listed as present.  The lake’s water is moderately clear.

High Lake

High Lake is a 741 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 36 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing.  Fish include muskie, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, muskie, walleye and panfish are common in this lake.  Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike are listed as present.  The lake’s water is moderately clear.

Jag Lake

Jag Lake is a 162 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 27 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing.  Fish include muskie, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, walleye and panfish are common in the lake.  Muskie, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are listed as present.

Little Crooked Lake

Little Crooked Lake is a 154 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 30 feet.  Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing.  Fish include muskie, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, muskie, walleye and panfish are common in this lake.  Largemouth bass and northern pike are listed as present.  The lake’s water clarity is low.

Little John Lake

Little John Lake is a 151 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 19 feet.  Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing.  Fish include muskie, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and trout.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, trout are abundant in Little John Lake.  Muskie, walleye and largemouth bass are common in the lake.  Smallmouth bass and northern pike are listed as present.

Lower Gresham Lake

Lower Gresham Lake is a 149 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 12 feet.  Fish include muskie, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish.  According to the DNR, panfish are abundant in the lake while largemouth bass are considered present.  The other species of fish are listed as present.

Mann Lake

Mann Lake is a 253 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 18 feet. Fish include northern pike and panfish.  According to the DNR, pike and panfish are considered common in the lake.

Trout Lake

Trout Lake is a 3,864 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 117 feet.  Visitors have access to the lake from multiple public boat landings.  Fish include muskie, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, trout and panfish.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, muskie, walleye, northern pike, trout, smallmouth bass and panfish are common in this lake.  Largemouth bass are listed as present.

Upper Gresham Lake

Upper Gresham Lake is a 362 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 32 feet.  Fish include muskie, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish.  According to the DNR, panfish are abundant in the lake while muskie, largemouth bass and walleye are considered common.  Northern pike are listed as present.

White Sand Lake

White Sand Lake is a 746 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 71 feet.  Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing.  Fish include muskie, walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, muskie, walleye and smallmouth bass are common in this lake.  Northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish are listed as present.

Whitney Lake

Whitney Lake is a 226 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 8 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing.  Fish include northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, largemouth bass are common in this lake.  Northern pike and panfish are listed as present.

Wolf Lake

Wolf Lake is a 403 acre lake located in Vilas County.  It has a maximum depth of 28 feet.  Fish include muskie, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish.  According to the DNR, muskie, walleye, largemouth bass and panfish are considered common in the lake while smallmouth bass are listed as present.