Crotty Lake near Hayward: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Look for Crotty Lake in Douglas County, Wisconsin. The bank is 1,050 feet above sea level. Roughly 50 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Shoreline comes to about 1.0 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Hayward sits 17 miles from here and is the nearest stop. For a city, Saint Paul is 106 miles off. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Crotty Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. 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. Reported across Douglas County: yellow perch, walleye, white sucker, black crappie and rainbow smelt. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Treat Crotty Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 67°F and January near 9°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Crotty Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. 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. Walleye come to jigs worked slow near bottom, and to trolled crankbaits along the drops at dusk. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. If the gate is shut, Red Lake at 1.2 miles is the nearest alternative. For Crotty Lake in particular, ask before you travel.