Footes Lake Fishing Guide, Polk County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  The Polk County entry here is Footes Lake, in Wisconsin. The bank gives way to mixed forest. Surface area is around 55 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Shoreline comes to about 2.5 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Luck sits 10 miles from the bank. Further out sit Frederic (12 miles) and Cumberland (12 miles). The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Footes Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Polk County include brown trout, rainbow trout and northern pike. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Take Footes Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 69°F and January near 10°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That shapes the year on Footes Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Andrus Lake is 1 mile off. Nothing on Footes Lake should be assumed from this page alone.