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Best pumpkinseed lakes in Wisconsin

2778 Wisconsin waters hold pumpkinseed. 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. The brilliant little sunfish of weedy northern bays — a snail-crunching shallow-water resident that outnumbers bluegill across the east and Canada.

1. Long Lake — 74 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
2. Rhinelander Flowage — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
3. Lake Owen — 95 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
4. Prairie Lake — 16 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
5. Dairyland Reservoir (Flambeau) — 70 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
6. Rainbow Flowage — 28 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
7. Lake Chetac — 26 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
8. Nelson Lake (Totagatic Flow) — 33 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
9. Park Falls Flowage, Upper — 17 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
10. Moose Lake — 21 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
11. Minong Flowage*(L Nancy) — 21 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
12. Balsam Lake — 37 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
13. Gile Flowage — 25 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
14. St Croix Flowage — 28 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill
15. Lake Nokomis — 33 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
16. Lake Mohawksin — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
17. North Twin Lake — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
18. Caldron Falls Reservoir* — 40 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
19. Trego Lake — 36 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
20. Red Cedar Lake — 53 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
21. Fence Lake — 86 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
22. Beaver Dam Lake — 106 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
23. Bear Lake — 87 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
24. Spirit River Flowage — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
25. Lake Alice — 32 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike

…plus 2753 more Wisconsin waters holding pumpkinseed.

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When to fish pumpkinseed in Wisconsin

• Spring 1–8 ft — Spawning colonies carpet warm, protected bays — small baits dropped on the beds get instant attention.
• Summer 2–10 ft — Docks, pads and weed flats — pumpkinseeds hold tighter to vegetation than bluegill and love snails and nymphs.
• Fall 4–14 ft — Schools tighten on the last green weeds — find healthy cabbage near a drop and the school is there.
• Winter 6–18 ft — A staple ice panfish — soft-bottom flats just outside the deepest green weeds; downsize and watch for lift bites.

Also in Wisconsin: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye 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 lake sturgeon lakes

Pumpkinseed elsewhere: Ontario · Minnesota · Québec · Michigan · Maine · New Hampshire · Montana · Massachusetts · Connecticut · New York