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Home › Waters › Wisconsin › Anvil Lake
Lake · Northern Wisconsin, Vilas County, the Nicolet National Forest east of Eagle River in the Northwoods lake country · Wisconsin

Anvil Lake Fishing Guides

A clear Northwoods lake inside the Nicolet National Forest east of Eagle River, ringed by public land rather than cottages, with musky, walleye and a bass fishery that sees far less pressure than the chain lakes nearby.

Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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About the Anvil Lake

Anvil Lake sits in Vilas County about nine miles east of Eagle River, inside the Nicolet unit of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. It covers roughly three hundred and seventy acres and reaches depths in the forties. What sets it apart from most lakes in this part of Wisconsin is that its shoreline is almost entirely national forest rather than private cottage lots, which is unusual in a county that contains more lakes than almost any comparable area in the country.

The water is clear and the bottom varies from sand and gravel on the wind-exposed shores to soft organic material in the bays. Submerged wood, mid-lake humps and a well-defined weed line give the lake more structure than its size suggests. It is part of the greater Eagle River area but sits outside the famous chain, and it fishes accordingly, with far fewer boats.

Muskellunge are present and are the reason a fair number of anglers make the drive, though this is not a numbers lake for them. Walleye hold on the gravel and along the weed edges. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass are well established, the smallmouth on the harder bottom and the largemouth in the bays. Bluegill, black crappie and yellow perch provide steady panfish action, and northern pike are common throughout.

The Anvil Lake trail system and campground are on the eastern shore, and the trails are well known to hikers and cross-country skiers. That public land keeps the shoreline undeveloped and the water quality high.

Eagle River is the base for the area, with tackle, guides and lodging. Ice fishing is a significant part of the season here, and the lake is reliably frozen from December into March.

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Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Pool right now

1,691.95ft NAVD88
  • 24 hours-0.01 ft → steady

Reading taken 39 min ago at USGS 05390500, ANVIL LAKE NEAR EAGLE RIVER, WI. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.

Fished this water? Add a photo

Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.

Never published. We use it only if we need to ask about the photo.

Posting to Anvil Lake.

JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB. We resize it and strip the location data out of the file.

The name shown under the photo. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Access

Anvil Lake Campground - the national forest campground and boat access on the eastern shore.
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest - the public land surrounding nearly the whole shoreline.
Anvil Trail System - the hiking and ski trails adjoining the lake.
Eagle River - the nearest town, with full services, tackle and guides.
Wisconsin Highway 70 - the main road running past the lake from Eagle River.
Eagle River Chain of Lakes - the larger connected water system to the west.
Vilas County public landings - additional launches on neighbouring lakes.

Seasons

Spring: walleye and bass active in the shallows after ice out, with the lightest boat traffic of the year.
Summer: clear water and a defined weed line, with musky, bass and panfish all in play.
Fall: cooling water and the strongest musky and walleye fishing of the season.
Winter: dependable ice from December into March, with heavy panfish and pike pressure.

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Questions

What species can you catch on the Anvil Lake?

Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch on the Anvil Lake in Wisconsin.

Where can you access the Anvil Lake?

Anvil Lake Campground - the national forest campground and boat access on the eastern shore. Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest - the public land surrounding nearly the whole shoreline. Anvil Trail System - the hiking and ski trails adjoining the lake. Eagle River - the nearest town, with full services, tackle and guides. Wisconsin Highway 70 - the main road running past the lake from Eagle River. Eagle River Chain of Lakes - the larger connected water system to the west. Vilas County public landings - additional launches on neighbouring lakes.

When is the best time to fish the Anvil Lake?

Spring: walleye and bass active in the shallows after ice out, with the lightest boat traffic of the year. Summer: clear water and a defined weed line, with musky, bass and panfish all in play. Fall: cooling water and the strongest musky and walleye fishing of the season. Winter: dependable ice from December into March, with heavy panfish and pike pressure.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Anvil Lake?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Wisconsin agency site: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/fishing/regulations