Lake George Fishing near Pardeeville, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Lake George lies in Columbia County, Wisconsin. The surface lies 778 feet up. With some 39 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Bank access stretches around 0.9 miles in total. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Wisconsin listings. Supplies mean a trip to Pardeeville, 4.2 miles off. Madison sits 31 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lake George

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name brown trout, common carp, rainbow trout and largemouth bass. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Read Lake George before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 71°F, with January the cold end at about 16°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Once it clears, about early April, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Lake George fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. 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. For a change of water, Swan Lake is 1.7 miles distant. What applies at Lake George may have changed since it was mapped.