Rice Lake in Polk County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Polk County in Wisconsin is where Rice Lake sits. Elevation runs to 1,171 feet. With some 128 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. About 2.4 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Few waters listed in Polk County are bigger. Luck lies 5.2 miles from the water. Saint Croix Falls is 9.6 miles and Taylors Falls 10 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Species logged across Polk County include brown trout, rainbow trout and northern pike. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Read Rice Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 69°F and January near 10°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. From about mid April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Rice Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Camp Douglas Lake, 1 mile away. Confirm before you fish Rice Lake.