Bailey Lake Fishing in Bayfield County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  You will find Bailey Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. The water sits 1,112 feet up. Surface area runs to about 5 acres — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Bayfield County list. Lake Nebagamon is the closest place, 18 miles off. Beyond it, Washburn at 22 miles and Ashland at 22 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Bailey Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in Bayfield County include rainbow smelt, brown trout, yellow perch and rainbow trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Bailey Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 67°F, with January the cold end at about 9°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan any trip to Bailey Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Silver Sack Lake is 1 mile off. For Bailey Lake in particular, ask before you travel.