Tripp Lake 12.0 in Walworth County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Walworth County, Tripp Lake 12.0 is a Wisconsin water. The country round it is lake country bush from end to end. The whole outline is near 2.6 miles, and most of it is walkable. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Wisconsin listings. Nearest place of any size is Whitewater, 0.9 miles away. It is 39 miles to Madison, the nearest city. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Tripp Lake 12.0

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Across Walworth County, recorded fish include common carp, bluegill, brown trout and pumpkinseed. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Anyone new to this water should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 72°F and January near 18°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late March. Break-up near late March, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Anyone fishing this water regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Boat access is recorded roughly half a mile away. Parking within half a mile means no long carry with tackle. Facilities include toilets around half a mile from here. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Cravath Lake 27.5, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at this water may have changed since it was mapped.