Silver Lake in Barron County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Barron County entry here is Silver Lake, in Wisconsin. It stands 1,181 feet above sea level. It measures about 29 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The nearest town is Turtle Lake, 3.5 miles away. The big place round here is Saint Paul, 55 miles distant. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Silver Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. County-wide records name brown trout, largemouth bass and northern pike. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Silver Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 10°F in January and 69°F in July. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. 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. That is the shape of the year on Silver Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Little Horseshoe Lake sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Silver Lake in what we hold.