Fishing at Proschinger Lake, Washington County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  This water sits in Washington County, Wisconsin. Lake country bush runs right down to the water. Surface area runs to about 6 acres — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Washington County list. Head to Newburg, 2.6 miles away, for anything you forgot. Milwaukee sits 27 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Proschinger Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Washington County cover common carp, pumpkinseed, green sunfish and largemouth bass. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On Proschinger Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 18°F in January and 70°F in July. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Winter locks it down, and early April brings it back. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early April and starts locking again about early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. On Proschinger Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Radtke Lake at 0.9 miles is the sensible second choice. Nothing on Proschinger Lake should be assumed from this page alone.