Monson Lake Fishing in Burnett County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Monson Lake is a Burnett County water, Wisconsin side. The country here is lake country bush. With some 121 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Grantsburg is the closest town at 9.1 miles. The big place round here is Saint Paul, 70 miles distant. Others within reach: Zalensky Pond at about 0.9 miles, Reed Lake (1.5 miles), Reisinger Lake at about 1.7 miles, Reed Lake (2.4 miles) and Fuhrman Lake at about 2.5 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Monson Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Open biodiversity records for Burnett County list brown trout, northern pike, largemouth bass and bluegill. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Monson Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 69°F in July and bottom out at 9°F in January. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. From about mid April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That shapes the year on Monson Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Zalensky Pond is 0.9 miles off. Where Monson Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.