Lake Five in Ashland County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Lake Five in Ashland County, Wisconsin. Everything around it is pine and birch. The water covers some 60 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. For supplies, Little Round Lake is 23 miles out. The nearest city of size is Saint Paul, 132 miles away. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Lake Five

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Ashland County, recorded fish include rainbow smelt, yellow perch, white sucker, johnny darter and brown trout. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. On Lake Five the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 66°F; by January the average is down near 9°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid April. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about late November in an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Expect Lake Five to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Dells Lake is 0.9 miles off. The position on Lake Five is worth confirming on the day.