Upper Turtle Lake Fishing near Turtle Lake, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Upper Turtle Lake is set in Barron County, Wisconsin. Elevation runs to 1,158 feet. It measures some 427 acres, and wind has room to build across it. At about 6.1 miles of edge, most people work one arm at a time. It ranks high for size among our Barron County listings. The nearest town is Turtle Lake, 2.9 miles away. The nearest city of size is Saint Paul, 58 miles away. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Upper Turtle Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. County-wide records name brown trout, largemouth bass and northern pike. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Fish Upper Turtle Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 69°F; by January the average is down near 10°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Upper Turtle Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A pier half a mile from here gives a platform over deeper water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Hillman Lake at 2.1 miles is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Upper Turtle Lake for certain.