Sandow Lake Fishing Guide, Marquette County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Marquette County, Wisconsin, is where Sandow Lake sits. Land around it is pine and birch. At 17 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Head to Westfield, 4 miles away, for anything you forgot. Easton is 12 miles and Dakota 13 miles. Not far off: Echo Lake at about 0.7 miles, Mud Lake just 1 mile, Lawrence Lake 29 at about 1.3 miles, Fenner Lake just 1.7 miles and Rollers Lake at about 1.8 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Sandow Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Marquette County records list brown trout, bluegill, rainbow trout, largemouth bass and northern pike among the fish reported. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. The near bank of Sandow Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 71°F; by January the average is down near 15°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Count the season from break-up, usually early April. Ice clears near early April and comes back about early December in a typical year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. The season on Sandow Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Lawrence Lake South Boat Launch provides a boat ramp about half a mile away. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Echo Lake is 0.7 miles distant. Where Sandow Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.