Fishing Island Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  The Bayfield County end of Wisconsin holds Island Lake. The setting is lake country bush on every side. Roughly 32 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Supplies mean a trip to Lake Nebagamon, 19 miles off. Saint Paul is the closest city, 140 miles away. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Island Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Species logged across Bayfield County include rainbow smelt, brown trout, yellow perch and rainbow trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Island Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 66°F at the top of summer and 9°F at the bottom of winter. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near 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. At Island Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. 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. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Buck Lake, 0.6 miles away. For Island Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.