Lake Wingra Fishing near Madison, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Lake Wingra is a Dane County water, Wisconsin side. Elevation runs to 843 feet. Roughly 337 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. The shoreline runs about 3.6 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Ground here is low by Wisconsin standards. Supplies mean a trip to Madison, 1.6 miles off. Further out sit Shorewood Hills (2.1 miles) and Monona (4.3 miles). One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lake Wingra

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Dane County: brown trout, common carp and bluegill. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Lake Wingra fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 72°F at the top of summer and 16°F at the bottom of winter. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early April until roughly early December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Time your trip to Lake Wingra by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is a launch about half a mile from the bank. Moorings are at Wingra Marina, roughly half a mile off. Parking within half a mile means no long carry with tackle. A jetty or pier is mapped about half a mile from here. A picnic spot sits half a mile from the bank. There are toilets half a mile off. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Lake Monona at 3.2 miles is the sensible second choice.