Overby Lake in Bayfield County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Wisconsin, Overby Lake falls inside Bayfield County. Country round the bank runs to rolling bush. About 7 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. On size it sits at the modest end of our Bayfield County list. Nearest place of any size is Ashland, 23 miles away. Then Lake Nebagamon, 24 miles, and Washburn, 27 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Overby Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Fish documented in Bayfield County include rainbow smelt, brown trout, yellow perch, rainbow trout and white sucker. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Read Overby Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 66°F for July and 9°F for January. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. From about mid April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It sets the rhythm of the year at Overby Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Esox Lake is 0.4 miles off. For Overby Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.