Fishing Bass Lake in Oconto County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Within Oconto County, Wisconsin, you have Bass Lake. It sits at 1,302 feet above sea level. Roughly 142 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The edge runs 2.2 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It is among the larger waters listed here for Oconto County. Nearest town is Crandon, 25 miles off. It is 60 miles to Green Bay, the nearest city. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Bass Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Oconto County: brown trout, largemouth bass, bluegill and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Bass Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 67°F, the coldest about 12°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near late November in autumn. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It holds true on Bass Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. A car park sits roughly half a mile away. A picnic spot sits half a mile from the bank. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Krake Lakes, 0.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Bass Lake before loading the car.