Fishing Wildwood Lake in Iron County, Michigan

• Overview

  Within Iron County, Michigan, you have Wildwood Lake. Around the bank it is mixed forest. The water covers some 96 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. There is roughly 1.4 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. It is high ground by Michigan standards. Stambaugh, Iron River is the closest place, 3.2 miles off. Iron River is 3.8 miles and Crystal Falls 11 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Wildwood Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Iron County include brown trout, yellow perch, northern pike and walleye. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Wildwood Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 65°F and January near 9°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Winter locks it down, and late April brings it back. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It holds true on Wildwood Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lake Sixteen, 1.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on Wildwood Lake is worth confirming on the day.