Murray Lake in Douglas County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Murray Lake sits in Douglas County, out in Wisconsin. The surface lies 1,138 feet up. It runs to roughly 38 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Lake Nebagamon lies 12 miles from the water. Hayward lies 25 miles off, Little Round Lake another 30 miles. Also worth knowing: Hopkins Lake (0.3 miles), Loon Lake within 0.4 miles, Sand Lake (0.5 miles), High Life Lake within 0.6 miles and Hay Lake (0.9 miles). No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Murray Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Fish documented in Douglas County include yellow perch, walleye, white sucker, black crappie and rainbow smelt. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. At Murray Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 8°F in January up to 67°F in July. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. The season between ice runs from about mid April to late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Murray Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Walleye come to jigs worked slow near bottom, and to trolled crankbaits along the drops at dusk. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Hopkins Lake is 0.3 miles off. Where Murray Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.