Big Muskellunge Lake

About this Map

Next, I turned my attention to Big Muskellunge Lake in Vilas County. At approximately 897 acres, this is a substantial Northwoods lake with a mostly undeveloped shoreline surrounded by the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest. And with a name like Big Muskellunge Lake, you can probably guess that fishing is going to be an important part of the story.

Musky are, of course, one of the big attractions here, but Walleye, bass, and other species also make this a great fishing lake. To help improve your odds, I went a little beyond simply illustrating the fish present and included some potential hot spots showing the types of areas where you might find certain species.

There’s plenty happening beneath the water even if you aren’t fishing. Big Muskellunge Lake reaches a maximum depth of approximately 70 feet, and detailed bathymetric contours reveal a surprisingly complicated underwater landscape. Broad deep-water basins, steep breaks, submerged ridges, holes, shelves, sweeping points, and islands give way to a much shallower and more intricate southern arm. The contrast between the deep northern and central portions of the lake and the island-studded shallows to the south makes this an especially interesting lake to study on a map.

The landscape above the water is just as important. Much of the lake is surrounded by the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, leaving substantial stretches of shoreline remarkably undeveloped. Dense woods, wetlands, small ponds, and scattered waterways create an almost continuous natural setting around the lake.

I also mapped the recreational features tucked into all that forest. North Muskellunge Lake Campground occupies the northeastern shore, while Musky Lake Campground lies southeast of the lake. Several boat ramps provide access from different parts of the shoreline.

There’s quite a bit to explore beyond the lake as well. The Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail passes south of Big Muskellunge Lake near Crystal Lake Road and the Tom Roberts Memorial Nature Center, while the Raven Black Ridge Trail winds through the forest northeast of the lake. Crystal Lake appears along the southern edge of the map, Little John Junior Lake lies to the southwest, and even a small portion of Allequash Lake sneaks into the far northwestern corner.

I like including those neighboring waters, trails, and natural features because they show that Big Muskellunge Lake isn’t an isolated destination. It’s part of this remarkable patchwork of lakes, streams, wetlands, trails, and seemingly endless forest that makes the Vilas County Northwoods such an interesting landscape.

Between the deep and complicated bathymetry, islands and shallow southern waters, excellent fishery, campgrounds, trails, and all that undeveloped state forest, Big Muskellunge Lake gave me plenty to work with. And if you happen to use one of those fishing hot spots on my map and land a trophy Musky, well, I’d certainly like to hear about it.