Fishing Kern Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  The Bayfield County end of Wisconsin holds Kern Lake. Rolling bush runs right down to the water. With some 79 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Bank access stretches around 1.6 miles in total. On our Bayfield County list it sits near the top for size. Ashland is the closest place, 20 miles off. The nearest city of size is Saint Paul, 136 miles away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Kern Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Bayfield County include rainbow smelt, brown trout, yellow perch, rainbow trout and white sucker. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Kern Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 67°F and January about 9°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Open water usually runs from mid April until about late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Plan around that when you fish Kern Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is Line Lake, 1.1 miles out. What applies at Kern Lake may have changed since it was mapped.