Fishing Grouse Lake in Polk County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Grouse Lake stands in Polk County, Wisconsin. Elevation runs to 1,250 feet. At about 39 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. For supplies, Cumberland is 9.6 miles out. For a city, Saint Paul is 63 miles off. Round about: Wintergreen Lake a touch under 0.5 miles, Ember Lake near enough 0.6 miles, Black Bear Lake a touch under 1 mile, Johnson Lake near enough 1.1 miles and Deer Lake a touch under 1.1 miles. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Grouse Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Polk County records list brown trout, rainbow trout and northern pike among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. At Grouse Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 69°F in July and bottom out at 10°F in January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid April. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about late November in an average year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. That shapes the year on Grouse Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Wintergreen Lake is 0.5 miles off. Confirm access to Grouse Lake locally before you travel.