Fishing at Grass Lake, Shawano County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Shawano County, Wisconsin, is where Grass Lake sits. This is pine and birch ground. With some 90 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. On our Shawano County list it sits near the top for size. Belle Plaine lies 1.7 miles from the water. Further out sit Clintonville (6.6 miles) and Shawano (7 miles). The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Grass Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Shawano County list brown trout, northern pike, largemouth bass and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Grass Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 69°F, with January the cold end at about 13°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early April. From about early April to around early December, expect open water on the long-run figures. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Grass Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Round Lake at 0.4 miles is the sensible second choice. For Grass Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.