Mud Lake Fishing in Dane County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  This water sits in Dane County, Wisconsin. Land around it is pine and birch. It runs to roughly 200 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 2.9 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It is low-lying compared with other Wisconsin water we list. Head to McFarland, 1 mile away, for anything you forgot. Madison is the closest city, 7.5 miles away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Mud Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Dane County records list brown trout, common carp, bluegill, rainbow trout and largemouth bass among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Mud Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 71°F, with January the cold end at about 16°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early April. Climate figures give an open season running early April to early December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Mud Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. This falls in or next to protected ground, so rules will be tighter than usual. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Lake Waubesa is 2 miles distant. Signs at Mud Lake carry more weight than any list.