James Lake Fishing in Sawyer County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Set in Sawyer County, James Lake is a Wisconsin water. The bank is 1,309 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to about 12 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Sawyer County. Little Round Lake sits 11 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Saint Paul sits 117 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on James Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Sawyer County cover walleye, brown trout, largemouth bass and muskellunge. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On James Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 67°F, with January the cold end at about 9°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. 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. James Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is West Fork Chippewa River, 0.6 miles out. Confirm before you fish James Lake.