Bear Lake, Wisconsin: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Within Sawyer County, Wisconsin, you have Bear Lake. The surface lies 1,424 feet up. It measures about 181 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. There is roughly 2.9 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. The nearest place of any size is Park Falls, 18 miles away. For a city, Saint Paul is 132 miles off. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Bear Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Sawyer County cover walleye, brown trout, largemouth bass and muskellunge. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Read Bear Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 66°F; by January the average is down near 10°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. Break-up sits around mid April on average, with the water closing again about late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. On Bear Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Cub Lake is 0.7 miles distant. None of that is settled for Bear Lake in what we hold.