Fishing Horten Lake in Taylor County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Horten Lake sits in Taylor County, out in Wisconsin. Elevation runs to 1,414 feet. Small at around 15 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Start from Medford, 10 miles down the road. Further out sit Abbotsford (20 miles) and Thorp (21 miles). Near neighbours include: Cranberry Lake within 0.8 miles, Scoof Lake sits 1.3 miles out, Lake Thirty within 2.3 miles, Mud Lake sits 2.4 miles out and Hulls Lake within 2.5 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Horten Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Taylor County cover brown trout, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, bluegill and yellow perch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Horten Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 67°F, with January the cold end at about 10°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. That shapes the year on Horten Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. 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. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. If the gate is shut, Cranberry Lake at 0.8 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm before you fish Horten Lake.