Bass Lake in Bayfield County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Bass Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. It lies 1,427 feet above sea level. At about 69 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. A shoreline of some 1.6 miles keeps the choices simple. On our Bayfield County list it sits near the top for size. Head to Ashland, 23 miles away, for anything you forgot. It is 135 miles to Saint Paul, the nearest city. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Bass Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Bayfield County include rainbow smelt, brown trout and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of Bass Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 9°F in January to roughly 66°F in July. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. From about mid April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. On Bass Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Club Lake, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Bass Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.