Cast Gill

Petenwell Lake

Wood County, Wisconsin · WBIC 1377100

Official regulationsDNR lake mapDepth map (PDF)

This lake has fishing rules that differ from the standard ones for its area. Check the official rules before you fish. Official regulations

Size

23,040 acres

Max depth

44 ft

DNR lake type

Complex, Warm, dark water color

A warm-water lake type: the DNR groups it with lakes that warm up through summer. This describes the lake type in general, not this lake in particular.

Outline

Chester Creek Boat Launch1Petenwell Powerhouse and Landing2Armenia Landing3Petenwell Lake - 3rd St. Access4Petenwell Wilderness Park5Petenwell Flowage Access6Van Kuren Landing7Petenwell County Park8Town of Monroe Park9Barnum Bay10Petenwell Flowage - Blackhawk Drive/Bighorn Access11Devil's Elbow/Wood Day Use Area12Petenwell Park - 20th Drive Access13

Numbered dots are boat landings; tap one for directions. The list below has the same numbers. Drawn from the DNR's 24K hydrography (surveyed 1984), so the shape is approximate and a landing can sit a little off the shore. Open the DNR lake map.

Water clarity (satellite estimate)

  • Summer 20162.6 ft (95,863 satellite pixels)
  • Summer 20175.2 ft (70,336 satellite pixels)

No one has measured this lake's clarity in the monitoring data. These are estimates from satellite images of two summers only, so they may not match the lake today.

Secchi depth is how far down a white disk stays visible. A bigger number means clearer water. The estimate tops out at 16 feet.

Landsat satellite estimates published by the Wisconsin DNR (summers 2016 and 2017), averaged over the lake's outline. Informational use only.

Water temperature

A typical year Modeled estimate

  • Ice goes outabout Apr 9 (Apr 3 to Apr 16)
  • Surface reaches 48°Fabout Apr 25 (Apr 18 to May 4)
  • Surface reaches 64°Fabout May 29 (May 24 to May 31)
  • June surface73°F, usually 72 to 75°F
  • July surface81°F, usually 79 to 82°F
  • August surface78°F, usually 76 to 80°F

Forms a warm top layer around Jun 12, lasting about 59 days.

A computer model of this lake's typical weather and water, built from 15 years, 2005 to 2019. Ranges show the middle half of years. The model was not calibrated against measured temperatures for this lake. It is an estimate, not a measurement.

Modeled: U.S. Geological Survey lake temperature data release (doi:10.5066/P9CA6XP8).

Today at the lake

Loading today's forecast…

Forecast: National Weather Service (no endorsement implied). Sunrise, sunset and moon phase are calculated. The moon phase can be a day off.

Stocking history

  • Muskellungelast stocked 2024 (large fingerling, small fingerling and yearling); stocked in 14 years since 2010
  • Lake Sturgeonlast stocked 2022 (large fingerling and yearling); stocked in 8 years since 2010

Stocking shows what was added to the lake, not what is in it now.

Wisconsin DNR annual fish stocking summary. Checked Oct 23, 2026.

Boat landings

Wisconsin DNR public boat access sites. Checked Oct 23, 2026.

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More lakes in Wood County

All Wood County lakes

Where this comes from

  • Size, depth and lake typeWisconsin DNR lake classifications, checked Oct 23, 2026
  • OutlineWisconsin DNR 24K hydrography, checked Oct 23, 2026
  • Stocking historyWisconsin DNR annual fish stocking summary, checked Oct 23, 2026
  • Regulations linkWisconsin DNR fishing regulations (linked, not restated), checked Oct 23, 2026
  • Boat landingsWisconsin DNR public boat access sites, checked Oct 23, 2026
  • Typical-year temperatureU.S. Geological Survey lake temperature model (modeled estimate), checked Oct 23, 2026
  • VHS statusWisconsin DNR VHS status by watershed, checked Oct 24, 2026
  • Depth map linkWisconsin DNR lake maps list, checked Oct 24, 2026
  • Satellite clarity estimateLandsat summer clarity estimates published by the Wisconsin DNR (2016, 2017), checked Oct 24, 2026

See data sources for what each source covers, and about for how the numbers are matched to lakes.

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