Lake Poygan
A lake in Wisconsin
14,024 acres
About Lake Poygan
Lake Poygan covers 14,024 acres in Winnebago and Waushara counties, part of the Winnebago system on the lower Wolf River. It runs almost eight miles and carries 43 miles of shoreline, taking in Tustin and Borth on its edges.
Six public landings serve it.
Two classifications matter here. Musky are managed as self-sustaining via natural reproduction — Category 1, no stocking needed — and lake sturgeon as naturally reproducing. Poygan is part of the Winnebago sturgeon system, which is one of the few places in North America where a lake sturgeon population is large enough to support a managed harvest.
Like Winnebago downstream, Poygan is large and shallow, which means wind builds water on it faster than the acreage suggests. Winnebago System rules, including the sturgeon provisions, are separate from Wisconsin's general inland regulations. Check the current DNR rules before fishing it.
Written from Wisconsin DNR hydrography and fisheries data. State water ID WBIC 242800.
How the state manages it
- musky · Self-sustaining via natural reproduction (Cat. 1)
- sturgeon · Naturally Reproducing - ANSRI
Wisconsin DNR fisheries designations. These describe how the water is managed, not what is in it on any given day.
Fishing license
Wisconsin sells them online. Buy one from the state. We don’t know whether you need one — that depends on your age, where you live, the water, and what your guide’s own license covers.
Do you know this water?
The state lists these ramps nearby but doesn’t say which water they belong to. If you fish Lake Poygan, you’ll know better than we do.
Pony Creek Park Canoe Launch
listed as "Lake Poygan" · 283 m away