Oak Lake Fishing near Spooner, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Within Burnett County, Wisconsin, you have Oak Lake. It stands 955 feet above sea level. At about 93 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. For a base, Spooner sits 15 miles out. Further out sit Shell Lake (20 miles) and Hayward (26 miles). Others close at hand: Hoinville Lake at 1.6 miles, Pear Lake out at 2 miles, Lower McKenzie Lake at 2.4 miles, Frog Lake out at 2.7 miles and Prinel Lake at 2.7 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Oak Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Species logged across Burnett County include brown trout, northern pike, largemouth bass, bluegill and pumpkinseed. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The near bank of Oak Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 9°F to 68°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about late November in an average year. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. At Oak Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Hoinville Lake at 1.6 miles is the nearest alternative. What applies at Oak Lake may have changed since it was mapped.