KENTUCK LAKE
If you are looking for a clearwater lake with plenty of bass action, nearly 1,000-acre Kentuck Lake is a good choice. This Vilas County lake located east of Eagle River holds both largemouths and smallmouths, but the smallies are predominant. In fact, it's tough to fish the lake and not catch smallies, which makes this a good place to introduce kids or beginners to bass fishing. You will catch bass while fishing for crappies and bluegills with live bait, too. In fact, you might consider the bass bothersome in that case.

Two boat ramps -- one on the south shore and the other on the northeast in the campground -- provide access, but the southern ramp is the best. There is plenty of shoreline action, but these are the smallest fish in the lake. The largest fish will be in the weeds, especially in the north half of the lake. When the sun is high, fish the deep-water side of the weedbeds with jigs and plastics. White and black are both good starting colors, and you will catch more fish by adding a piece of nightcrawler or a leech to your jig.

Visit the Eagle River Chamber of Commerce's Web site at www.eagleriver.org or call 1-800-359-6315 for lodging and travel information.

BUCKATABON LAKES
If it's bucketmouths you want, give both Upper and Lower Buckatabon lakes a try. These connected Vilas County lakes are located 15 minutes northeast of Eagle River and a few miles southwest of Conover. The channel between the lakes is navigable by boat, so you can fish both lakes during one outing. Both are well-known musky lakes and support both largemouth and smallmouth bass. The bigmouths are dominant, and the lakes have plenty of panfish to keep the kids occupied.

Upper Buckatabon has a barrier-free boat ramp on its far south shore and is the deeper of the two lakes, with a maximum depth of 47 feet. The upper lake is larger, nearly 500 acres, while the lower lake is smaller, 352 acres, and shallower with a maximum depth of 16 feet.

For lodging and travel information, log on to the Conover Chamber of Commerce's Web site at www.conover.org or call (715) 479-4928.

SHELL LAKE
With nearly 2,600 acres of water, Washburn County's Shell Lake is one of the largest lakes in the county and a great lake if you're interested in catching large quantities of smallmouth bass. Largemouths are present, too, but they are not nearly as common as the bronzebacks.

The community of Shell Lake is small, with just more than 1,300 people, but it's unique because the lake is entirely within the city's corporate limits. The deepest water in Shell Lake bottoms out at 36 feet and the lake has a half-dozen good boat launches. Shell Lake is the Badger State's largest landlocked seepage lake, the water is clear and clean, and it's the DNR's recommended lake for bass anglers visiting Washburn County.

As is true in many northern Wisconsin lakes, bass anglers can expect to lose some lures to muskies in this excellent muskie lake. Bring plenty of weapons with you.

Additional fishing information on Washburn County is available at www.washburncounty.com. Simply click on the "fish link." For travel, camping or lodging information, visit Shell Lake's Web site at www.shelllakeonline.com.

LAKE WISSOTA
If you like to fish huge lakes for bronzebacks, take a trip to Lake Wissota in Chippewa County. This 6,300-acre drainage lake is part of the Chippewa River system and is located a few miles east of Chippewa Falls. Lake Wissota is famous for its muskies, walleyes and bass fishing, with smallies being the primary bass species. Bigmouths are present in the lake, too, but in lower numbers than the bronzebacks.