Protecting and rehabilitating the interconnected waterway of Pickerel, Smoke, and Little Pickerel lakes (the Pickerel Chain)
Announcements, upcoming events, and how you can help
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our 2025 Fundraising Picnic — volunteers, donors, and participants!
It is that time of year again — temperatures are below freezing and the lake has frozen over. When the ice is thick enough to safely walk on — usually late December — we’ll be out there installing the poles and lines for our lake aeration systems for Pickerel, Little Pickerel, and Smoke Lakes. Please be aware of the open water and stay outside of the lines!
The property owners that abut Pickerel, Smoke, and Little Pickerel Lakes are notified by this letter that the PCLA will again be operating an aeration system on each lake of the chain during this upcoming 2025/2026 winter season. Caution should be used if and when using the lakes this winter season because the aeration systems will create large open water areas, weather conditions, and thin ice conditions can be expected as you extend out and away from the open water locations.
Compressed air aerator systems consisting of airlines and diffusers laying on the lake bottom will be used again this winter in each lake. The location of the open water areas created by the aerators this winter are similar to the open areas present last year.
The aeration systems are planned to be placed in operation once the lake ice is safe for foot travel in order for the installation of a post and rope open water warning system. This system will surround the anticipated open water areas. The post and rope warning systems will be placed in locations based on past experience of where the open water areas will develop.
Reflective tape placed on the warning system posts and on marker plates attached to a rope strung between the posts will be used to provide day and nighttime visibility of the warning system. In addition, 9”x12” red corrugated plastic sheets will be attached to some of the poles to assist with daytime visibility of the warning system.
Changing and variable weather conditions will impact the size of each open water area, so lake users should not assume the ice is safe at the rope location and should always check conditions prior to travel near the aeration systems or elsewhere on the lakes.
Caution signs will also be placed at public access points to the lakes to alert lake users of the aeration systems.
The PCLA has authority to operate the aeration systems under Wisconsin DNR permits and Wisconsin State Statute 167.26. This state statute exempts riparian property owners from liability for injury or death as a result of the open water condition if they warn those, they give permission to cross their property to enter the lakes of the existence of the ice hole or open water areas. The statute states this warning can be a direct warning or by posting a warning device on their property that complies with requirements set forth in the statute. We ask that you advise all users who are allowed to enter the lakes from your property of the aeration systems and the hazard the systems present.
Please contact any of the PCLA board of director members if you have any questions regarding the aeration systems.
Sincerely,
Pickerel Chain Lake Association Board of Directors
(Drew Zelle, Laure Haak, Mike Van Handel, Dennis Van Handel, Mike Schilz, Pari Schilz, Mark Zelle, Bridgette Janos, Laura Komperda, and Mae Enz)
We held our 2025 Annual Members meeting on 24 May. Members approved our 2025 budget and we held Board Member elections. Current Board Members Drew Zelle, Brigitte Janos, and Laure Haak were elected for another term. And, welcome to our new Board Members Mae Enz (Smoke Lake) and Laura Komperda (Pickerel Lake).
We held our first Pickerel Lake Boat Parade on 21 June. See our Boat Parade page for winners, pictures, and videos!
The 2025 PCLA picnic was on 19 July at Oughton Park! We’ll be posting a list of volunteers and donors shortly. Thanks to all who attended and helped raise funds for PCLA activities1
If you think you have found aquatic invasive plants or animals in our lakes, please use a ziploc bag to collect a sample in lake water, mark the location as precisely as possible, put it in your fridge, and contact Drew Zelle (Board President) or Laure Haak (Board Secretary and Water Quality Committee Chair) at BoardPLCA@gmail.com. We will work with the DNR to verify the sample identification and determine next steps.
Welcome to the beautiful Wisconsin northwoods! Pickerel Lake, Smoke Lake, and Little Pickerel Lake are located in Townsend in northwestern Oconto County. Water enters the lakes through springs and groundwater and leaves through Pickerel Creek, a tributary of the North Branch of the Oconto River. Several species of fish swim in the lakes, including large mouth bass, northern pike, crappie, and bluegill. The lakes are home to trumpeter swans, loons, sandhill cranes, green herons, eagles, and many species of songbird, turtles, snakes, and insects of all kinds. The lakes are adjacent to Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest and around the lake we have ash, birch, maple, white pine, and spruce forests with extensive biking, ATV, and snowmobile trails.
The Pickerel Chain Lake Association (PCLA) was founded in 2013 and carries out a number of activities, including maintaining the fishery through stocking and winter aeration, conducting research on water quality, monitoring for aquatic plant and invasive species issues, and communicating on ways to enhance boating and recreational safety. PCLA is a non-profit membership organization, open to anyone living on or within one mile of the lakes. We always welcome new members and volunteers!
PCLA Activities and Events
We work with our members and local and state natural resource agencies to monitor and support the health of the Pickerel Chain ecosystem. Each summer we host our Annual Picnic to build community and raise funds for maintaining aerators and other activities.
Visiting
The Pickerel Chain Lake waterway is located in the Town of Townsend in northeast Wisconsin. This Chain includes 51-acre Smoke Lake with a maximum depth of 5 feet, 25-acre Little Pickerel Lake with a maximum depth of 20 feet and 176-acre Pickerel Lake with a maximum depth of 10 feet. Bottom sediments are primarily muck and sand. With the dam flowage and substantial undeveloped frontage, the lakes are great for fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and birdwatching.
Whether you have an hour or more, we welcome volunteers for all of our activities including water testing, the annual picnic, clean boat inspections, aerator maintenance, Board roles, and more.
Building community to foster beauty and fun!
Subscribe to our quarterly newsletter to learn more about PCLA activities and events.