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Petenwell Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Wisconsin's second-largest water: the Wisconsin River's upper flowage, grinding walleye, flatheads and white bass through the stumps.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
87 / 88 F
Wind
SW 12 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Petenwell Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings cloud cover, wind SW around 12 mph, steady pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 88. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeExcellent

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perchGood

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 78 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp87 F
High / Low88 / 71 F
WindSW 12-18 mph
Pressure1010.2 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 45%
Sunrise / Sunset06:26 / 19:30
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Storms, 88/71 F, wind 12 mph, rain 45%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Petenwell Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Petenwell Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Petenwell Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 82 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 89 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 91 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Wisconsin requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Wisconsin license. Walleye 15-inch/3 flowage zone: check DNR. Stump navigation caution.

Access

Petenwell County Park, Wilderness Park, dam-area ramps.

About this water

23,040 acres of Wisconsin River flowage, Adams/Juneau/Wood counties, WI.

Fishing Petenwell Lake: the full guide

Castle Rock's big sibling

Petenwell spreads 23,000 stained acres above Castle Rock: Wisconsin's second-largest lake and the wilder half of the flowage pair. Same river rules: current seams, stump fields, walleye on the wood: at a scale that swallows pressure and hides giants.

Flowage gold

The walleye program runs the classic dark-water beat: jigs on the river channel at ice-out, leeches on the mid-lake humps through June, crawlers and cranks along the stump edges all summer, and the dam faces (both ends) whenever gates run. Saugers salt the deep bends: the mixed bag is the flowage's signature.

Flatheads and the night economy

Petenwell's flathead culture runs serious: 40-plus-pound fish from the timbered channel on live suckers after dark: the quiet fraternity that owns the summer nights. White bass riot mid-lake under birds by day: the family bridge between.

Big-flowage practicalities

County parks ramp both shores: the stumps punish shortcuts (marked channels or humility): and wind builds steep stained chop fast: 23,000 shallow acres is inland-sea math. Winter caps it into a serious ice fishery: walleye at dusk on the bars, the villages tracking them weekly.

Common questions

Petenwell or Castle Rock?

Petenwell for scale and flatheads, Castle Rock for access polish: the pair fishes as one system. Walleye tactics transfer lake to lake without edits.

How big do Petenwell flatheads get?

Forty-pound fish come off the timbered channel every summer: live bait after dark. It is Wisconsin's quiet big-cat capital.

Is Petenwell good for crappie?

The flooded timber holds a steady crappie program the walleye crowd skips: spring wood-dipping in the bays and winter schools in the channel bends. Stained-water jig colors (chartreuse, orange) rule here as everywhere on the flowage.

Is fishing good at Petenwell Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Castle Rock Lake14 miLake Wisconsin47 miKickapoo River48 miLake Puckaway51 miBig Green Lake51 miLake Poygan59 mi
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