Washburn Lake Fishing Guide, Oneida County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  In Wisconsin, Washburn Lake falls inside Oneida County. The bank is 1,568 feet above sea level. With some 78 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 1.8 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. The closest town, Rhinelander, is 7.3 miles distant. After that come Tomahawk at 13 miles and Eagle River at 26 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Washburn Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Fish documented in Oneida County include brown trout, walleye and largemouth bass. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On Washburn Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 10°F to 66°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Expect Washburn Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. For a change of water, Mazy Lake is 0.4 miles distant. Ask locally about Washburn Lake if anything is unclear.