Fishing Happles Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Look for Happles Lake in the Bayfield County part of Wisconsin. It lies 1,122 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 23 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Lake Nebagamon sits 16 miles from here and is the nearest stop. For a city, Saint Paul is 135 miles off. Also worth knowing: Silver Lake 0.4 miles off, Trout Lake 0.8 miles away, Canthook Lake 0.9 miles off, Flynn Lake 1.2 miles away and Muskellunge Lake 1.3 miles off. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Happles Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Bayfield County, recorded fish include rainbow smelt, brown trout, yellow perch, rainbow trout and white sucker. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Fish Happles Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 66°F, while January sits near 9°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid April until roughly late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Happles Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Silver Lake at 0.4 miles is the sensible second choice. Confirm access to Happles Lake locally before you travel.