Five Island Lake in Bayfield County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Five Island Lake sits within Bayfield County in Wisconsin. Height above sea level is 1,112 feet. With some 50 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 1.2 miles keeps the choices simple. Start from Lake Nebagamon, 17 miles down the road. Ashland is 23 miles and Washburn 24 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Five Island Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Bayfield County, recorded fish include rainbow smelt, brown trout and yellow perch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Work Five Island Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 67°F for July and 9°F for January. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. At Five Island Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Overnight stays are possible about half a mile out, where camping is mapped. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Hart Lake, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Five Island Lake carry more weight than any list.