Island Lake in Sawyer County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Island Lake lies in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. The bank gives way to mixed forest. About 17 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. It is a small entry by Sawyer County standards. Little Round Lake is the closest town at 3.9 miles. The nearest city of size is Saint Paul, 106 miles away. Close by you have: Murry Lake at 0.3 miles, Williams Lake within 0.4 miles, Adina Lake at 0.6 miles, Petty Lake within 0.8 miles and Spring Lake at 1.7 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Island Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across Sawyer County, recorded fish include walleye, brown trout, largemouth bass, muskellunge and northern pike. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Island Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 9°F to 68°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. That is the shape of the year on Island Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Murry Lake at 0.3 miles is the nearest alternative. Where Island Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.