Pauto Lake

If you are looking at Pauto Lake, you are looking at a Vilas County lake with the water profile currently listing about 18 acres and a maximum depth of 52.5 feet, so you can decide whether to fish it slow or break the day into a few different areas.

Size, depth, and the lay of the lake

The first trip does not need a giant tackle plan and the first places I would give a fair shot are the best bank cover, any obvious weeds, and the deepest water I can reach and that is usually enough to tell you whether to stay shallow or start looking farther out.

The fishery on paper

Recorded species at Pauto Lake include Brook Trout, Brown Trout, and Rainbow Trout; which makes it reasonable to try cooler, deeper water for trout, and save the extra tackle until there is a reason to use it.

My game plan

If I had a few hours to figure out Pauto Lake, I would bring a couple of dependable baits, fish the best-looking water I can reach, and pay attention to what the first few bites have in common, then I would verify the latest bag, size, and season information before fishing.