Rose Lake, Wisconsin: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Rose Lake sits in Jefferson County, out in Wisconsin. Land around it is pine and birch. With some 151 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Wisconsin listings. For a base, Fort Atkinson sits 2.9 miles out. Lake Koshkonong is 4.3 miles and Jefferson 4.4 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Rose Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Open biodiversity records for Jefferson County list common carp, bluegill, green sunfish and walleye. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Fish Rose Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 72°F; the cold one sits at 17°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Winter locks it down, and late March brings it back. On average, late March opens the water and mid December closes it again. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Time your trip to Rose Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. You can park half a mile away and walk in from there. Facilities include toilets around half a mile from here. Part of this sits inside or beside Dorothy Carnes Park West, so read the notices. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Haumerson Pond at 3.4 miles is the sensible second choice. Check the position at Rose Lake before loading the car.