Fishing Mud Lake in Iron County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  In Wisconsin, Mud Lake belongs to Iron County. It lies 1,677 feet above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 24 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Wisconsin listings. Hurley sits 13 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Then Ironwood, 14 miles, and Bessemer, 18 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Mud Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name walleye, northern pike and yellow perch. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The shape of Mud Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 65°F; the cold one sits at 10°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid April. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Mud Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. If the gate is shut, Horseshoe Lake at 0.6 miles is the nearest alternative. Rules at Mud Lake are worth checking on the day.