Fishing at Cranberry Flowage, Jackson County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Cranberry Flowage lies within the bounds of Jackson County, Wisconsin. The water sits 843 feet up. It runs to roughly 46 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Wisconsin listings. Nearest town is Black River Falls, 3.4 miles off. Beyond it, Blair at 22 miles and Sparta at 22 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Cranberry Flowage

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. County-wide records name brown trout, rainbow trout, common carp, smallmouth bass and walleye. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. At Cranberry Flowage the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 71°F on average, January about 12°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Break-up comes around early April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly early December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Time your trip to Cranberry Flowage by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Wazee Lake is 4.3 miles off. Treat access at Cranberry Flowage as something to verify.