Rockland Lake in Racine County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Racine County, Wisconsin, this is Rockland Lake. The water sits 751 feet up. It runs to roughly 45 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 1.1 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It lies lower than most water we list in Wisconsin. Burlington lies 1.2 miles from the water. It is 30 miles to Milwaukee, the nearest city. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Rockland Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Public occurrence data for Racine County names common carp, brown trout, largemouth bass and bluegill. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Take Rockland Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 72°F, with January the cold end at about 18°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late March. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late March until roughly mid December. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan around that when you fish Rockland Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Boats go in at Canoe/Kayak Launch, roughly 0.9 miles from the water. Public data has parking about half a mile from the shore. Overnight stays are possible half a mile away. There is a toilet block some half a mile out. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Browns Lake, 0.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Rockland Lake before loading the car.