Bass Lake Fishing near Hayward, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Bass Lake stands in Washburn County, Wisconsin. The ground around here is lake country bush. Roughly 186 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Size puts it in the front rank of our Washburn County list. Some 8.4 miles away sits Hayward, the nearest settlement. For a city, Saint Paul is 99 miles off. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Bass Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Washburn County include largemouth bass, bluegill and northern pike. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On Bass Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 68°F and January about 9°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. From about mid April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Bass Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Mud Lake at 0.6 miles is the sensible second choice. Rules at Bass Lake are worth checking on the day.