Fishing at Big Trade Lake, Burnett County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Big Trade Lake lies within the bounds of Burnett County, Wisconsin. What surrounds it is lake country bush. Roughly 327 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. With 5.1 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Few waters listed in Burnett County are bigger. Start from Frederic, 7.3 miles down the road. Saint Paul sits 55 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Big Trade Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Burnett County, recorded fish include brown trout, northern pike and largemouth bass. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Take Big Trade Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 70°F and January near 10°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early April. Climate averages put the opening at about early April and the closing near late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. That is the shape of the year on Big Trade Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Pickle Lake is 0.8 miles distant. For Big Trade Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.