Spring Lake Fishing in Bayfield County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Spring Lake falls in Bayfield County, part of Wisconsin. The bank is 1,411 feet above sea level. Small at around 10 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Head to Little Round Lake, 18 miles away, for anything you forgot. Hayward follows at 20 miles, then Ashland at 32 miles. Within a short run: Star Lake 0.7 miles off, Emerson Lake sits 0.9 miles out, Patsy Lake 1 mile off, Rock Lake sits 1.2 miles out and Birch Lake 1.2 miles off. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Spring Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Bayfield County include rainbow smelt, brown trout and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Spring Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 66°F and January near 8°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. 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. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Spring Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Star Lake, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm access to Spring Lake locally before you travel.