Snake Lake Fishing Guide, Barron County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  In Wisconsin, Snake Lake belongs to Barron County. Everything around it is rolling bush. Surface area runs to about 15 acres — small enough to read in one session. Most waters listed here for Barron County are larger. Turtle Lake lies 5.5 miles from the water. Saint Paul is the closest city, 56 miles away. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Snake Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Public occurrence data for Barron County names brown trout, largemouth bass, northern pike and walleye. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Anyone new to Snake Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 69°F on average, January about 10°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan any trip to Snake Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. If the gate is shut, Little Round Lake at 0.8 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat access at Snake Lake as something to verify.