Fishing at Eagle Nest Lake, Bayfield County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  The Bayfield County end of Wisconsin holds Eagle Nest Lake. Elevation runs to 1,401 feet. The water measures roughly 12 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Some 13 miles away sits Little Round Lake, the nearest settlement. The big place round here is Saint Paul, 122 miles distant. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Eagle Nest Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Bayfield County list rainbow smelt, brown trout, yellow perch and rainbow trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Work Eagle Nest Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 66°F, the coldest about 8°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. That is the shape of the year on Eagle Nest Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Sickles Lake is 0.4 miles off. Ask locally about Eagle Nest Lake if anything is unclear.