Rice Lake Fishing in Iron County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Rice Lake is an Iron County water, in Wisconsin. It sits at 1,581 feet above sea level. Around 113 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. At about 3.3 miles of edge, most people work one arm at a time. It ranks high for size among our Iron County listings. The town to know is Lac du Flambeau, 17 miles out. Beyond it, Hurley at 19 miles and Ironwood at 19 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Iron County include walleye, northern pike, yellow perch and muskellunge. The county list is broader than any single water. At Rice Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 65°F, while January sits near 10°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Anyone fishing Rice Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Echo Lake sits 0.6 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Rice Lake in what we hold.