Fishing at Pike Lake, Iron County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Out in Iron County, Wisconsin, sits Pike Lake. The land about it is lake country bush. It measures some 744 acres, and wind has room to build across it. Size puts it in the front rank of our Iron County list. Supplies mean a trip to Lac du Flambeau, 9.7 miles off. Green Bay is the closest city, 138 miles away. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Pike Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Iron County list walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, muskellunge and rainbow trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Pike Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 66°F and January at 9°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid April until roughly late November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Pike Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Turner Lake, 1.1 miles away. Confirm before you fish Pike Lake.