Fishing at Pine Island Lake, Sawyer County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Out in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, sits Pine Island Lake. It sits at 1,312 feet above sea level. With some 48 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 1.2 miles keeps the choices simple. Head to Little Round Lake, 5.7 miles away, for anything you forgot. It is 114 miles to Saint Paul, the nearest city. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Pine Island Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Sawyer County, recorded fish include walleye, brown trout, largemouth bass and muskellunge. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Treat Pine Island Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 67°F and January near 9°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near late November in autumn. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Expect Pine Island Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Chippewa Flowage takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Glover Lake is 1.1 miles off. Signs at Pine Island Lake carry more weight than any list.