Castle Rock Lake
| Castle Rock Lake | |
|---|---|
| Location | Adams / Juneau counties, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 43°55′33″N 89°58′05″W / 43.9258°N 89.9680°WCoordinates: 43°55′33″N 89°58′05″W / 43.9258°N 89.9680°W |
| Type | artificial lake |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 16,640 acres (6,730 ha) |
| Max. depth | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
Castle Rock Lake is a man-made lake located in central Wisconsin, in Adams County and Juneau County. It connects to Petenwell Lake. It covers 16,640 acres (67.3 km2) and reaches 30 feet (9.1 m) deep.
Construction of the Castle Rock Dam was started in 1947 and completed 4 years later.[1] The dam is 38 feet high, 18,700 feet long at is crest, with a maximum water capacity of 175,000 acre feet.[2] A hydropower project of the Wisconsin River Power Company (WRPCO) in tandem with the related Petenwell Dam and Reservoir, Castle Rock Lake is Wisconsin's fourth largest lake.[3] It covers sixteen thousand acres, and has approximately sixty miles of shoreline.
In Adams County, the shores of Castle Rock Lake are dotted with public launch sites, and visitors can enjoy water skiing, swimming, sailing, and boating. The lake is known for its sand bottom. Spectacular sunsets await along the many miles of wooded shoreline where 25,000 acres remain in their natural state. For the angler there are walleye, northern pike, bass and perch.
On the Juneau County side (west side), with the exception of Buckhorn State Park and Yellow River State Wildlife area, the shoreline is more developed. There has been an influx of resort-type developments with small private lakes and deeded access to Castle Rock Lake in the last few years.
The majority of shoreline is undeveloped making the lake "less populated" and ideal for boating and skiing. The lake's depth varies from 8 to 20 feet in most places, with area in the old river beds reaching as deep as 30 feet. The structure created from the river beds makes Castle Rock a productive and consistent fishing lake. While walleyes, white bass, and crappies are the most abundant, many northern pike, large mouth bass, small mouth bass and panfish are taken also.