Fishing at Patten Lake, Florence County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Patten Lake stands in Florence County, Wisconsin. The water sits 1,345 feet up. About 254 acres, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. The shoreline runs about 3.6 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Few waters listed in Florence County are bigger. Iron Mountain is the closest place, 17 miles off. Green Bay is the closest city, 94 miles away. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Patten Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Florence County, recorded fish include brown trout, rainbow trout, largemouth bass and bluegill. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Patten Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 11°F and July at about 65°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Open water usually runs from mid April until about late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. On Patten Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Price Lake, 1 mile away. Where Patten Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.