Lake Ree in Bayfield County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Bayfield County end of Wisconsin holds Lake Ree. The bank is 1,404 feet above sea level. It covers about 23 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. You are 24 miles from Little Round Lake. The big place round here is Saint Paul, 132 miles distant. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lake Ree

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Bayfield County, recorded fish include rainbow smelt, brown trout, yellow perch and rainbow trout. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Lake Ree responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 66°F, while January sits near 9°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. From about mid April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It holds true on Lake Ree more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Lake Knotting, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on Lake Ree is worth confirming on the day.