Potato Lake Fishing Guide, Rusk County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Potato Lake lies within the bounds of Rusk County, Wisconsin. The setting is mixed forest on every side. Roughly 450 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. The perimeter runs near 7.6 miles, so plan the walk before you start. Few waters listed in Rusk County are bigger. Chetek lies 11 miles from the water. The big place round here is Saint Paul, 85 miles distant. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Potato Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name rainbow trout, brown trout and bluegill. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Potato Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 69°F, while January sits near 10°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early April. Climate averages put the opening at about early April and the closing near late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. At Potato Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Lake Four is 1 mile distant. For Potato Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.