Hatchet Lake Fishing near Frederic, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Look for Hatchet Lake in the Polk County part of Wisconsin. The water sits 1,122 feet up. At roughly 14 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. The closest town, Frederic, is 1.5 miles distant. It is 57 miles to Saint Paul, the nearest city. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Hatchet Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Polk County records list brown trout, rainbow trout, northern pike and largemouth bass among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Hatchet Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 69°F and January reads 10°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Hatchet Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Young Lake, 0.3 miles out. Signs at Hatchet Lake carry more weight than any list.