Potato Lake (Rusk County)

Rusk, Wisconsin

Potato Lake is a 540-acre lake in Rusk County near Weyerhaeuser, with a maximum depth of 40 feet and mostly muck bottom per Lake-Link. WDNR lists largemouth bass as abundant, musky and northern pike as common, and panfish, smallmouth and walleye as present.

Air temp in New Auburn, WI Loading current temperature…

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Current air temperature at Potato Lake (Rusk County) (National Weather Service) ↗

Surface area540 acres

Max depth40 ft

Shoreline—

Boat motorsCheck local ordinances

Species

Fishery rating out of 5.

Largemouth Bass●●●●○

Listed as abundant by WDNR

Muskellunge●●●○○

Listed as common by WDNR

Northern Pike●●●○○

Listed as common by WDNR

Bluegill●●○○○

Panfish listed as present by WDNR

Crappie●●○○○

Panfish listed as present by WDNR

Smallmouth Bass●●○○○

Listed as present by WDNR

Walleye●●○○○

Listed as present by WDNR

Boat launches

2 launch sites. Fees and hours change, so confirm before you go.

Potato Lake public boat landingsPublic
WDNR lists 2 public landingsDirections ↗
More public accessPublic
See the WDNR lake page for all landingsDirections ↗

Size & creel limits

Special rules for this lake, confirmed from official state regulations. Minimum size and daily limit.

Species	Min size	Daily limit
Muskellunge	40 in	1 / day
Walleye 20-24 in not kept; 1 over 24 in allowed	15 in	3 / day
Northern Pike	See Wisconsin rules book ↗	5 / day
Bluegill Panfish combined	See Wisconsin rules book ↗	25 / day
Crappie Panfish combined	See Wisconsin rules book ↗	25 / day
Largemouth Bass Combined with smallmouth; May 2 2026-Mar 7 2027	14 in	5 / day
Smallmouth Bass Combined with largemouth; May 2 2026-Mar 7 2027	14 in	5 / day

Other species in this lake: look up the limits at Wisconsin DNR ↗

Verified October 2026. Rules change, so confirm current limits with the Wisconsin DNR before you fish.

Bait & tackle nearby

Closest shops to the lake and its boat launches. Call ahead for live bait and hours.

Ace Home Center & SportslandNearby
503 Lake Ave. W., Ladysmith, WI 54848(715) 532-3351 Directions ↗
1776 OutdoorsNearby
Ladysmith, WI(715) 532-3351 Directions ↗
Dave Proden's Thornapple River OutfittersNearby
Ladysmith, WI(715) 532-5372 Directions ↗

Search more bait shops near Potato Lake (Rusk County) ↗

Local tips

Low-clarity water: use bright or noisy baits
Cast weed edges and cover for largemouth
Check WDNR regulations before keeping fish

View on interactive map

Zoom and pan on a street, satellite or terrain map. Red pins are boat launches.

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Always wear a life jacket and check your state's current regulations before you fish.