McDermott Lake Fishing near Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Out in Iron County, Wisconsin, sits McDermott Lake. The surface lies 1,585 feet up. At about 82 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The full circuit measures close to 1.9 miles on foot. Lac du Flambeau is the closest place, 13 miles off. Further out sit Park Falls (14 miles) and Phillips (24 miles). One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on McDermott Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Iron County: walleye, northern pike and yellow perch. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On McDermott Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 66°F in July and bottom out at 10°F in January. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Time your trip to McDermott Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. If the gate is shut, Little Muskie Lake at 0.8 miles is the nearest alternative. Where McDermott Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.