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Pewaukee Lake Info
On a busy day, Pewaukee Lake in Waukesha County is only an hour away from downtown Milwaukee and half a tank of gas from Chicago. Accordingly, its shores are virtually all developed, and its waters can sometimes be whipped up into a froth of boat wakes and waterbike roostertails. It is, in fact, the third-busiest lake in the state, says John F. Laimon, owner of Smokey’s Muskellunge and Bait Shops in Pewaukee (414) 691-9659. But that doesn’t make it a “dead sea.” Or even a lake in which the fish have all been driven deep by the myriads of buzzing props over their heads. To be sure, says Laimon, Pewaukee produces the most fish per acre of any lake in Wisconsin. And good numbers of those are well worth catching. Topping the list of “catchables” is Muskie. There’s a good population here, with numbers bolstered by DNR stocking. In addition, you’ll find good numbers of stocked Walleyes, some of them running pretty large. And there are some monster Bass here, too: Largemouth running up to 8 pounds or more and 6-pound Smallies. Too, there are Black Crappies topping 10 inches and a good crop of 8- to 9-inch ‘gills. Laimon suggests working the developing weedbed in Taylors Bay on the lake’s north shore early for Muskies. Throw a #5 Mepps, bucktail or small jerkbait. Then, as the water warms, troll the north shoreline in the western third of the lake with Dipsy Divers. Or, throw into the slot and deep weed edge about 300 feet out from Rocky Point on the north shore. For Walleyes, try live bait off the steeply dropping north shore, just west of Rocky Point. And the slot and deep weed edge off Auer Park on the south side is another Walleye hotspot. For Bass and panfish, don’t miss the weedbeds off the north shore, between Taylors Bay and the small island near the east end of the lake. There are some nice weedbeds, as well, around Chester Island and in the cove behind the point to the island’s south. Pewaukee’s public access site is nice, with four good ramps, parking, loading pier, and toilets. In case the parking lot is full, you can get on at the private launch sites for a small fee.
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