Fishing at Cable Lake, Washburn County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  This water sits in Washburn County, Wisconsin. The surface lies 1,060 feet up. It runs to roughly 179 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The full circuit measures close to 2.1 miles on foot. It ranks high for size among our Washburn County listings. Nearest town is Spooner, 3.2 miles off. For a city, Saint Paul is 86 miles off. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Cable Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Washburn County list largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike, yellow perch and walleye. The county list is broader than any single water. Fish Cable Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 69°F in July and bottom out at 9°F in January. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. On average, mid April opens the water and late November closes it again. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Cable Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. 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. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Little Cable Lake is 0.8 miles off. Check the position at Cable Lake before loading the car.