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Posts: 122
Location: Kenosha, Wi. | Does anyone have any info on Shell Lake up in Washburn County? I have some friends who are going up for a week and any info would be appreciated. Thanks all!
Edited by musky54 7/6/2007 7:25 PM
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Location: Green Bay, WI | I lived near Shell Lake for almost three years, but moved a few years ago. But I fished the lake MANY times while I lived there, and have a good friend that still lives there and fishes it frequently.
I am not sure what info you are looking for, so here's some basic stuff. The lake level has stabilized after several years of HIGH water. They dug in a 3-4 mile pipeline to the Yellow River and now keep the lake at the proper level. As far as the musky fishery...it's improving. When I was there I think the biggest fish I saw maybe went 40-41", and I fished the lake literally 100+ times. I think the walleye population remains excellent although the limit is only 2 or 3 fish (they seem to change it back & forth yearly and I lost count). If you like bass, Shell Lake has tons of them--especially Largemouth. We did catch a few nice smallies though as well. As for the boat landings, there is really only one nice landing--the one right in town. There are a couple others, although I wouldn't recommend any of them if you don't know the area.
Like any clear lake in northern WI, weekend pleasure boat traffic is intense on Shell Lake. So I suggest early morning or late evening for fishing. There is a south bay that doesn't get as much traffic as the main body of the lake--but everyone seems to fish that area when the jet skiers are in abundance. But after Labor Day things really lighten up, although the city pulls the dock from the main landing (or at least they used to). This makes the landing much more unfriendly. There is a campground on the lake, right in town, but it gets quite crowded during the season. And there was never any mooring/docking facility for the campground, so you would have to pull your boat every day. Big bummer...
All-in-all though, Shell Lake is/was one of my favorite lakes. I am certain there are still big fish lurking in it's 40 foot depths, but finding them is not easy. At 2580 acres there are an awful lot of places for them to hide. I never really got to troll for suspended fish there that much as I wasn't really rigged for it, but I would bet a guy could do well if he really got into it. There are nice breaks with weeds all around the shoreline in anywhere from 10-15-20 feet, and they are always worth the effort to fish. At the very least a guy can pick up some really nice pike in the 8-12 pound range.
Having said all of that, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to recommend the lake. In fact if Green Bay wasn't so far away, I would be fishing it this summer. If your friend wants any more info, PM me and I will give you a contact number.
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Shell Lake info...