Lake Ripley in Jefferson County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lake Ripley is listed under Jefferson County, Wisconsin. This is lake country bush country. Roughly 420 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. There is roughly 4.0 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Size puts it in the front rank of our Jefferson County list. The town to know is Lake Ripley, 0.4 miles out. It is 21 miles to Madison, the nearest city. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Lake Ripley

  The deepest measured water here is close to 44 feet. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Jefferson County include common carp, bluegill, green sunfish, walleye and black crappie. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Anyone new to Lake Ripley should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 72°F for July and 17°F for January. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early April. The open-water window runs from around early April to about early December in an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan around that when you fish Lake Ripley.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. A pier half a mile from here gives a platform over deeper water. A camping area sits within half a mile of here. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Red Cedar Lake, 1.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Lake Ripley.