Cranberry Lake in Barron County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Barron County, Wisconsin, is where Cranberry Lake sits. Around the bank it is mixed forest. At about 31 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The town to know is Cumberland, 3.5 miles out. The big place round here is Saint Paul, 65 miles distant. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here. Access points are few, so the middle stretches see little traffic.

• Where to Fish on Cranberry Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Barron County, recorded fish include brown trout, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye and bluegill. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Fish Cranberry Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 69°F and January near 10°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Cranberry Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Lower Spirit Lake at 0.4 miles is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Cranberry Lake for certain.