Old Abe Lake near Cornell: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Out in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, sits Old Abe Lake. The country here is mixed forest. Roughly 537 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. Size puts it in the front rank of our Chippewa County list. The nearest place of any size is Cornell, 8.6 miles away. Then Cadott, 9.8 miles, and Lake Wissota, 10 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Old Abe Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Chippewa County records list rainbow trout, brown trout, bluegill, largemouth bass and common carp among the fish reported. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. At Old Abe Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 70°F at the top of summer and 11°F at the bottom of winter. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early April. Break-up sits around early April on average, with the water closing again about late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Anyone fishing Old Abe Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Mud Lake, 1.9 miles out. What applies at Old Abe Lake may have changed since it was mapped.