Fishing at Upper Waterman Lake, Burnett County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Upper Waterman Lake is listed under Burnett County, Wisconsin. The surroundings are lake country bush. It runs to roughly 28 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The nearest place of any size is Cumberland, 8.4 miles away. The nearest city of size is Saint Paul, 67 miles away. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Upper Waterman Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Burnett County include brown trout, northern pike, largemouth bass, bluegill and pumpkinseed. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Upper Waterman Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 69°F, with January the cold end at about 9°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Upper Waterman Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lower Waterman Lake sits 0.4 miles off and takes the overflow. For Upper Waterman Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.