Big Lake Fishing Guide, Buffalo County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Big Lake lies in Buffalo County, Wisconsin. It lies 656 feet above sea level. Roughly 3.4 sq miles of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. The perimeter is close to 19 miles, and wind can be flat in one arm and rough in the next. It is the biggest water on our Buffalo County list. The closest town, Wabasha, is 2.5 miles distant. The big place round here is Rochester, 35 miles distant. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Big Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Buffalo County names brown trout, rainbow trout, common carp and johnny darter. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Big Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 72°F and January reads 14°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Once it clears, about early April, the fishing comes on quickly. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about early December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Big Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. If the gate is shut, Robinson Lake at 1.6 miles is the nearest alternative. Where Big Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.