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Present, classed as rough fish.

Freshwater drum

Aplodinotus grunniens

Also called sheepshead. It crushes mollusks, so the zebra mussel invasion fed it.

When to go

Best months for freshwater drum on Shawano Lake: June, July, August, and September.

January: slow.

February: slow.

March: slow.

April: slow.

May: fair.

Prime

June: good.

Prime

July: good.

Prime

August: good.

Prime

September: good.

October: fair.

November: slow.

December: slow.

Spawn

Ice, most years Ice

Prime
Good
Fair
Slow
Season closed

When freshwater drum spawn here

June, when the shallows hold 65 to 75 °F

Drum broadcast their eggs into open water in June. There is nothing to fish for on the spawn, so ignore it and fish the summer feeding pattern.

Why the year looks like this

A drum eats snails and zebra mussels off hard bottom, so the deep basin and the outlet channel hold them. They fight well, and the state record is 35 pounds.

Seasons come from the Wisconsin DNR regulation page for WBIC 322800, for the 2026-27 license year. The month ratings and the spawn dates are angling practice for this lake, not DNR findings. The spawn moves with the water temperature, so treat the dates as a normal year and the temperature as the trigger.

What the DNR measured

Shawano Lake data: No stand-alone table in the 2023 comprehensive report.
Season: Open all year as rough fish: no minimum length, unlimited daily bag.

What that means on the water

Drum eat mollusks, and this lake now carries zebra mussels plus four other invasive snail and mussel species. They are common in the Wolf River system.

Where to find it

Fish the deep basin and the outlet channel.
Look for hard bottom next to current.

How to catch it

A whole crawler or cut bait on a #4 hook on the bottom.
They hit jigs meant for walleye more often than anyone plans.

What to tie on

Sizes and weights, not brand names. Every picture is a real piece of tackle, and the drawn plates carry a ruler. The full gear page explains the words.

Live bait · Start here

Nightcrawler

A dozen in a foam cup, about $4 at any bait shop in Shawano or Cecil.

A big earthworm, four to six inches long. It is not a garden worm and it is not a red wiggler. For panfish you pinch off a half-inch piece; the whole worm is for catfish and bullhead.

On this lake. A half inch of crawler on a #10 hook under a float, fished within a cast of shore, is the easiest fish you will catch on this lake. It is also what to hand a kid.

January: no.
February: no.
March: no.
April: yes.
May: yes.
June: yes.
July: yes.
August: yes.
September: yes.
October: yes.
November: no.
December: no.

Lure

Walleye jig

1/8 oz in calm water, 3/8 oz in wind or current. Plain lead head, #2 hook.

The same lure as the panfish jig, in a weight heavy enough to hold bottom contact while the boat drifts. You tip it with a live leech, a fathead minnow, or a half crawler.

On this lake. Work it on the sharp inside turns of the drop-off north of Cecil Point, and on the points, not the straight stretches. Lift it a foot, let it fall on a tight line, and watch the line rather than feel for the bite.

January: yes.
February: yes.
March: yes.
April: no.
May: yes.
June: yes.
July: no.
August: no.
September: yes.
October: yes.
November: yes.
December: yes.

Seasons and limits come from the Wisconsin DNR regulation page for WBIC 322800, for the 2026-27 license year. The lures, depths and water temperatures are angling practice for this lake, not DNR findings. Rules change every license year, and the DNR page is the authority.

Spots on this lake for freshwater drum

2 of the 10 named areas hold freshwater drum. Tap a marker for the reason.

Spot	Why it holds them
Wolf River Pond	The slack water above the Shawano dam. It produced the longest crappie in the 2023 survey at 13.1 inches, and its bluegill reach 7 inches roughly two and a half years faster than the fish in the main lake.
Wolf River below the dam	The spring run water, and the bank where people gather in April to watch lake sturgeon spawn. Note the closure: from April 15 to May 15 the stretch below the dam is a fish refuge and is off limits.

All 10 spots and the season-by-season pattern