Fishing Garvin Lake in Waukesha County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Out in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, sits Garvin Lake. The surface lies 869 feet up. It covers about 17 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Most waters listed here for Waukesha County are larger. The town to know is Okauchee Lake, 1.5 miles out. Further out sit Nashotah (1.7 miles) and Hartland (3.7 miles). This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Garvin Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Waukesha County include common carp, bluegill, brown trout, rainbow trout and rock bass. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. At Garvin Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 17°F to 71°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early April. Average temperatures cross freezing around early April in spring and again near mid December in autumn. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. The season on Garvin Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. There is a slipway at Moose Lake Access, roughly half a mile off. Facilities include toilets around half a mile from here. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Grass Lake is 0.7 miles off. None of that is settled for Garvin Lake in what we hold.