Fishing at Cranberry Lake, Ashland County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  The Ashland County entry here is Cranberry Lake, in Wisconsin. The water sits 1,440 feet up. Small at around 8 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for Ashland County are larger. Park Falls sits 26 miles from here and is the nearest stop. For a city, Saint Paul is 136 miles off. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Cranberry Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Records held for Ashland County cover rainbow smelt, yellow perch, white sucker and johnny darter. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Cranberry Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 66°F and January reads 9°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. From about mid April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan any trip to Cranberry Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Little Clam Lake, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Cranberry Lake may have changed since it was mapped.