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Best lake sturgeon lakes in Wisconsin

35 Wisconsin waters hold lake sturgeon, 1 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. A living fossil and the biggest fish in the north country — a bottom-feeding giant managed as a trophy, mostly catch-and-release fishery.

1. Lake Winnebago — 21 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 26 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
2. Castle Rock Lake — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 7 public access sites
3. Holcombe Flowage — 62 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 10 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
4. Dairyland Reservoir (Flambeau) — 70 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 6 public access sites
5. Biron Flowage — 23 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
6. Lake Winneconne — 9 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
7. Wisconsin R Fl C3-Stevens Pt — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
8. Trego Lake — 36 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
9. Park Falls Flowage, Upper — 17 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 5 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
10. Danbury Flowage — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
11. Clam Lake — 11 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
12. Old Abe Lake — 36 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
13. Little Lake Butte Des Morts — 18 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #13: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
14. Butternut Lake — 32 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #14: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 4 public access sites
15. Big Falls Flowage — 45 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #15: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
16. Ladysmith Flowage — 19 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #16: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
17. Round Lake — 24 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #17: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
18. Yellow Lake — 31 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #18: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
19. Radisson Flowage — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #19: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
20. Clam River Flowage — 29 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #20: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
21. Pixley Flowage — 23 ft max · Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #21: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
22. Thornapple Flowage — 19 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #22: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
23. Lower Clam Lake — 14 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #23: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
24. Little Yellow Lake — 21 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #24: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
25. Mercer Lake — 24 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #25: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site

…plus 10 more Wisconsin waters holding lake sturgeon.

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When to fish lake sturgeon in Wisconsin

• Spring 3–15 ft — Spawning runs stack fish below rapids, dam faces and river mouths — check the regs, many runs are closed water.
• Summer 15–40 ft — Soft-bottom flats and holes near current — sturgeon vacuum larvae and snails off the mud, mostly after dark.
• Fall 15–45 ft — The prime rod-and-reel season — fish feed hard on deep mud and channel bends before winter.
• Winter 20–60 ft — Fish pod up over deep mud basins — the famous Winnebago spear season happens over exactly this pattern.

Also in Wisconsin: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best sauger lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best rock bass lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes

Lake Sturgeon elsewhere: Ontario · Minnesota · Michigan