Fishing Bird Lake in Oneida County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Bird Lake falls in Oneida County, part of Wisconsin. Height above sea level is 1,585 feet. The water covers some 97 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline comes to about 2.7 miles, small enough to learn in a day. The town to know is Lac du Flambeau, 16 miles out. Rhinelander lies 17 miles off, Eagle River another 22 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Bird 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. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Oneida County records list brown trout, walleye and largemouth bass among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Take Bird Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 66°F on average, January about 9°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near late November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Bird Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Failing this one, try Mud Lake, 0.6 miles away. Check the position at Bird Lake before loading the car.