Upper Devils Lake, Wisconsin: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Look for Upper Devils Lake in the Barron County part of Wisconsin. The country round it is pine and birch from end to end. Roughly 42 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Some 9 miles away sits Rice Lake, the nearest settlement. Shell Lake follows at 11 miles, then Cumberland at 14 miles. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Upper Devils Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Barron County list brown trout, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye and bluegill. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Upper Devils Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 69°F, the coldest about 9°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about late November in a typical year. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. That is the shape of the year on Upper Devils Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. The nearest car park we can see is half a mile out, so expect a walk with your gear. A campsite lies half a mile away for anyone staying over. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Haugen Lake, 0.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Upper Devils Lake.