Fishing Kelly Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Kelly Lake is one of the Bayfield County listings for Wisconsin. It sits at 1,165 feet above sea level. At about 56 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Bank access stretches around 1.1 miles in total. The town to know is Lake Nebagamon, 16 miles out. After that come Hayward at 24 miles and Little Round Lake at 28 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Kelly Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Bayfield County list rainbow smelt, brown trout and yellow perch. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. The shape of Kelly Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 67°F at the top of summer and 8°F at the bottom of winter. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. On average, mid April opens the water and late November closes it again. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Kelly Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Twin Lake is 1 mile distant. Confirm access to Kelly Lake locally before you travel.