Curtis Lake Fishing in Waushara County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Curtis Lake is a Waushara County water, in Wisconsin. The setting is mixed forest on every side. It runs to roughly 35 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The full circuit measures close to 0.9 miles on foot. The closest town, Dakota, is 3.7 miles away. The nearest city of size is Madison, 65 miles away. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Curtis Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name brown trout, rainbow trout, bluegill, largemouth bass and northern pike. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Curtis Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 71°F; the cold one sits at 14°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early April. Averages place the thaw at early April and the freeze at early December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Curtis Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Boat access is recorded roughly half a mile away. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Should this one be busy, Rogers Pond is 1 mile off. Treat Curtis Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.