Little Oxbow Lake, Wisconsin: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Little Oxbow Lake is an Iron County water, in Wisconsin. Height above sea level is 1,594 feet. Surface area runs to about 18 acres — small enough to read in one session. Hurley sits 17 miles from the bank. Ironwood lies 17 miles off, Bessemer another 18 miles. Within easy reach: Oxbow Lake just 0.5 miles, Spider Lake roughly 1.1 miles, Sells Lake just 1.3 miles, Kinder Lake roughly 1.7 miles and Spring Lake just 1.7 miles. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Little Oxbow Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Iron County: walleye, northern pike, yellow perch and muskellunge. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. The shape of Little Oxbow Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 65°F, the coldest about 10°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about late November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Little Oxbow Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Oxbow Lake, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position on Little Oxbow Lake before loading the car.