Smith Lake Fishing near Hayward, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Set in Sawyer County, Smith Lake is a Wisconsin water. The country round it is mixed forest from end to end. Roughly 323 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. The shoreline runs about 4.1 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Size puts it in the front rank of our Sawyer County list. Hayward lies 3.4 miles from the water. Saint Paul sits 109 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Smith Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Sawyer County, recorded fish include walleye, brown trout, largemouth bass and muskellunge. The county list is broader than any single water. On Smith Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 9°F to 67°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly late November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Time your trip to Smith Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Little Round Lake, 1.1 miles away. Confirm before you fish Smith Lake.