Fishing at Curve Lake, Forest County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  The Forest County end of Wisconsin holds Curve Lake. The water sits 1,368 feet up. About 17 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Crandon sits 20 miles from here and is the nearest stop. The big place round here is Green Bay, 68 miles distant. Water in the same corner: Gem Lake after 0.4 miles, Deep Lake 0.4 miles away, Indian Lake after 0.5 miles, Otter Lake 1.2 miles away and Seal Lake after 1.5 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Curve Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Forest County list brown trout, largemouth bass and yellow perch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Curve Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 66°F and January near 11°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Open water usually runs from mid April until about late November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. That is the shape of the year on Curve Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Gem Lake, 0.4 miles out. What applies at Curve Lake may have changed since it was mapped.