Pioneer Lake (Vilas County)

Waterbody ID (WBIC): 1623400 — permanent page /lakes/1623400/.

Pioneer Lake is in Vilas County; records show 429 acres and 1 DNR access-site record.

Size

429 acres

Lake type

DRAINAGE

Max depth

27 ft

Mean depth

12 ft

• 1 documented public access site record (DNR access inventory)
• 5 fish species/groups with abundance categories (DNR lake page)
• Fish stocking documented through 2024 (DNR stocking records)
• Summer Secchi clarity median 9.7 ft (field measurements)
• Official DNR depth map available (PDF)

Back to results Show on map Choose access / Directions Depth map (PDF) Check current DNR regulations

Plan your visit

• Lake directory: public landing — No
• Lake directory: public beach — No
• Lake directory: public park — No
• DNR public-access inventory: 1 documented access site record
• 1 site qualify for per-site Directions through the reviewed lake association (load the site details below)

Each statement is bounded to its named source; absence of a record is never evidence of no access. The DNR access database may lag reality; posted signs at the landing are authoritative.

Verify at the DNR public boat access program page.

Nearby facilities

• HWY 70 PULL-OFF — Info site / fee station; ≈11.2 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈11.3 km from the associated access point (straight line).
• LAC VIEUX DESERT BL — Boating site; ≈12.9 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈14.7 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
• LAC VIEUX DESERT — Campground; ≈13 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈14.8 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged. Official USFS page
• ANVIL BL — Boating site; ≈13.6 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈13.8 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
• ANVIL LAKE — Campground; ≈13.7 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈13.9 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged. Official USFS page
• 5 more inventoried sites within 15 km.

USFS Chequamegon-Nicolet constructed recreation sites only; straight-line distance is geographic context, not a travel route.

Fishing

The DNR lake page publishes 5 fish species/groups with abundance categories — categories are source labels, never a population count.

DNR fish labels: Largemouth Bass—Common; Musky—Common; Panfish—Common; not population counts.

Stocking records: 19 documented events through 2024, 206,220 fish total. Species: Walleye (Frequent), Muskellunge And Hybrids (Occasional). Events in 2015 or later count as recent.

Fisheries survey population estimates are published for this lake; survey estimates are historical point-in-time studies and are never compared or ranked here.

• Musky reproductive status (DNR mapped): Self-sustaining via natural reproduction (Cat. 1)

Fishing limits — 2026-2027 season: 19 normalized rows across 19 species entries. Normalized from the DNR ruleset retrieved 2026-08-04. Source text remains authoritative.

2026-2027 retained fishing rules: 19 published rows for 19 species; effective through 2027-03-07. Check current DNR rules.

Water and setting

• Field-measured summer Secchi clarity: median 9.7 ft from 47 samples, latest sample 2025-08-27
• Satellite clarity estimate: 9.33 ft (2017) — a remote-sensing estimate, kept separate from field measurements
• Lake directory clarity class: Moderate

Official DNR depth map (PDF) — Historical lake map; not for navigation. Link checked 2026-07-16.

• AIS record: Banded mystery snail — Verified (vouchered), latest documented 2019-07-08
• AIS record: Chinese mystery snail — Verified, latest documented 2006-08-30
• AIS record: Rusty crayfish — Verified, latest documented 2019-07-08

Occurrence records come from a non-exhaustive DNR inventory; a record documents presence at observation time and a missing record is never evidence of absence.

• Public-land proximity (GIS proxy, not access evidence): none mapped within 1,000 ft; nearest: Vilas County Forest (Vilas County); ≈0% of shoreline buffer
• Shoreline development (landcover proxy, 2025 source): ≈15.8% developed land within 300 m, ≈1.9% impervious
• Road proximity (TIGER proxy, 2025 source): nearest local road or city street ≈28 m; ≈2.3 km of road per km² within 1 km

• Priority Navigable Waterway — basis: musky area

Designations are legally defined DNR records shown as their sources state them; no composite rating is implied.

Data & sources

Published data families

• Fish species and abundance (DNR lake pages)
• Fish stocking history
• Fishing regulations (normalized snapshot)
• Directory access facts (landing, beach, park)
• Public access site inventory
• Satellite water clarity estimate
• Field-measured Secchi clarity
• Fisheries survey population estimates
• Aquatic invasive species occurrences

Original records: Wisconsin DNR lake page.

Missing values are unpublished, never zero; each fact above is bounded to its named source and date. Full sourcing detail: Data & methods.