FISHING AT DEVIL’S LAKE STATE PARK
A Seasonal Fishing Guide to Devil’s Lake in Baraboo, WIIn addition to the beauty and multitude of outdoor activities found at Devil’s Lake, it also offers some fantastic year-round angling opportunities, including some unique to the lake itself!
Overview of Fishing at Devil’s Lake
Devil’s Lake spans 374 acres with a maximum depth of 47 feet, and a mean depth of 30 feet. With a moderate amount of aquatic vegetation located in the shallows and relatively high-water clarity, Devil’s Lake is considered mesotrophic, which allows a multitude of fish species to flourish, including both warm and cold-water species.
Fisherman showing off seven trout on the ice at Devil’s Lake State Park
Devil’s Lake Fish Species
Devil’s Lake fish species include Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, and assorted panfish (Bluegill and Perch most common), as well as both Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout.
While the bass and panfish populations are naturally occurring and wild, the Walleye, Northern Pike, and Trout are stocked by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Although there are a multitude of fish species swimming in Devil’s Lake, the most abundant gamefish species is easily Trout due to DNR stocking (ex. 24,849 brown and rainbow trout stocked in 2020).
Devil’s Lake Fishing Opportunities by Season
Devil’s Lake offers great angling opportunities year-round. Whether you are visiting in the heat of summer or the dead of winter, there are fish to be caught!
Before leaving for a Devil’s Lake fishing trip, be sure to check the Wisconsin Fishing Regulations to ensure the species you are targeting is in season. Devil’s Lake is subject to some special regulations due to its Trout stocking program.
Spring Fishing (April – May)
Spring on Devil’s Lake brings with it a unique set of challenges. Although fishing can be great, the lake is extremely clear after ice out, making it essential to use fine, light presentations. It is also important to note which species are in season, and which are not (please refer to the Wisconsin Fishing Regulations). That said, panfish are open all year round, and are great target options during the spring months.
Spring Fishing Tips
A helpful tip when fishing in the spring is to follow the wind. Generally, fishing on the wind-blown side of the lake tends to be better in the spring as the wind pushes the warmer surface water in to shore, and subsequently the fish will follow in search of warmer water.
The north and south ends of the lake typically have the most weed growth, while the east and west shores are mostly rock.
Angler shows her perch / panfish catch at Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin
Panfish
When targeting panfish, small jigs tipped with live bait, such as wax worms, red worms, or a piece of nightcrawler, work great when fished under a bobber close to shore, or along any underwater vegetation. In early season, the fish will congregate around the emergent vegetation, as it provides warmer water, shelter from predators, and food in the form of insects living amongst the weeds.
Bass
Of course, where you have small fish, you have big fish that want to eat them! Wisconsin now has a year-round catch-and-release season for Bass, allowing anglers to target them in early spring. Devil’s Lake has an outstanding population of Largemouth Bass, as well as Smallmouth Bass, which can also be found in the shallows and amongst present vegetation early in the year.
Popular spring bass presentations include swim jigs, spinnerbaits, and jerkbaits. A minnow or nightcrawler under a bobber is a great option for anglers who prefer live bait. In super-clear spring water, natural colors such as green, white, silver, gold, or baitfish imitations (perch, bluegill, shiner, etc) work best.
Gamefish Season Opens in May
As a general rule, gamefish season opens the first Saturday in May, which allows anglers on Devil’s Lake to target and keep Walleye, Bass, Northern Pike, and Trout.
While Northern Pike and Walleye are present in the lake, their numbers are relatively low; spring is a great time to target them while they are commonly found in the shallows. They too will generally be found in and around aquatic vegetation, as well as most of the rocky shorelines around the lake. Walleyes will be easiest to catch after dark, with either live bait (ex. minnows) or jerkbaits, while you can catch Northern Pike during the daytime with a variety of lures including spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and live baits, such as medium to large shiners fished under a bobber.
Summer Fishing (June – August)
With warm summer weather comes more predictable fishing patterns and some hot action! Below are specific recommendations for the main species at Devil’s Lake State Park.
Panfish
With fully grown weed beds present on the north and south ends of the lake, most species can be found in and around them. Target panfish on the edges and amongst the weeds using the same presentations as you would in the spring (small jigs tipped with live bait under a bobber).
Fisherman shows his largemouth bass caught on Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin
LARGEMOUTH BASS
The Largemouth Bass bite is generally on fire all summer long, with multiple presentations at an angler’s disposal. The most popular summer Largemouth Bass presentations include casting spinnerbaits over the weeds, soft plastic worms in and around the weeds, deep diving crankbaits along the rocks, and the occasional topwater approach early and late in the day.
SMALLMOUTH BASS
Smallmouth Bass typically prefer to hang out along deeper rocky structure, and can be found all along the east and west shores of the lake. Some of the most popular presentations include drop-shot rigs (tipped with either soft plastics or live bait – leeches – minnows – nightcrawlers), deep diving crankbaits, or jigs.
WALLEYE
Along with the Smallies are the Walleyes. Although many walleyes spend the summer months roaming around in open water in the middle of the lake, they can be caught along the steep, rocky shorelines in the same areas as the Smallmouth Bass, using the same or similar presentations. They can be caught most hours of the day, however early and later in the day tend to be most productive.
TROUT & NORTHERN PIKE
As summer goes on Devil’s Lake will stratify – meaning there is a distinct temperature difference between the warmer surface water (typically the top 15 feet of the water column) and the much cooler water below it. Anglers using modern fish-finding sonar and electronics can usually identify the thermocline, where the layers meet. During these summer months while the lake is stratified, cold and cool water species, particularly Trout and Northern Pike, will hang out in or below the thermocline in the cooler, oxygen rich water.
Due to lower stocking numbers and long periods between stocking, Northern Pike are generally more difficult to target – especially during the summer months when they are typically in the deeper, cooler water.
Knowing where the thermocline is can help tremendously when targeting trout in the summer months. Presenting your bait or lure at or below the thermocline will produce far more bites than being above it. If you aren’t fishing from a boat, or don’t have electronics, it is a good idea to stagger the depths of your fishing presentations to dial in how deep the fish are on a given day. Typically, 15 feet below the surface is a good starting point.
Several presentations will catch trout, however a few of the most productive include slip bobbers with a live minnow, trolling with small crankbaits, and jigging with small jigging spoons.
The Trout tend to live a pelagic lifestyle – roaming the open basin of the lake - so you can fish most anywhere in the deeper parts of the lake (25 to 47 feet) and likely run into trout. One popular spot to fish trout is in front of the 4 cabins on the South West shore of the lake. The steep rocky shore drop acts much like a wall that the fish cruise along, making it a productive fishery. Although the cabins are a great spot, most of the East and West shorelines will also provide similar structure for Trout.
A few more Devil’s Lake trout tips:
Most of the trout hang out in schools, so if you catch one, there are likely many more along with it! Having multiple lines (up to 3 per angler) is a great way to maximize your bites.
If you plan to release the trout you catch, be sure to minimize handling time and time out of the water. Trout are fairly sensitive and overhandling sharply increases fatalities. Keep them in a net in the water until you are ready to remove the hook.
Additionally, if you plan to troll, note that boats on Devil’s Lake are limited electric or human power only. No internal combustion engines are allowed on the lake.
Fall Fishing (September – November)
Not only does fall bring with it absolutely gorgeous colors all around the park, but also some fantastic angling opportunities for gamefish. As the water begins to cool, most gamefish species instinctually begin to feed more heavily, and usually on larger prey items in preparation for winter.
Angler showing off two large fish while night fishing on Devil’s Lake
Understanding Stratification and Seasonal Turnover
As mentioned above, Devil’s Lake stratifies during the summer, which means the lake will “turn over” in the fall. As daily air temperatures gradually drop, the warmer surface water will eventually cool quickly enough to become denser than the water below the thermocline, causing it to “sink” to the bottom, therefore “turning-over” the lake. Because Devil’s Lake is mesotrophic and has a fairly sandy/gravely bottom, turnover effects typically aren’t very drastic when compared to other systems like eutrophic lakes, which have far higher levels of organic material (which tend to get very low visibility and starved for oxygen during turnover).
Once turned over (generally somewhere around 50 degrees Fahrenheit), fall fishing patterns become more consistent. Northern Pike, Bass, and Walleyes tend to be very active during autumn. Importantly, water clarity post-turnover will be quite clear, similar to spring. Trout tactics and presentations stay the same as they do in the summer, but Bass, Northern Pike, and Walleye tactics switch to slower presentations.
Species-Specific Fall Angling Strategies
With a uniform water temperature around the lake, most predators will move into the shallows after dark to feed, or position themselves somewhere just out from the shallows during the daytime.
For Bass, jerkbaits and slowly retrieved spinnerbaits work well, as do larger minnows fished near the bottom.
The fall walleye bite is most consistent after dark, when the fish push up against the rocky shorelines or shallow, sandy weed flats along the north, and parts of the south end, of Devil’s Lake. Slowly-fished, suspended jerkbaits using a “twitch-twitch-pause” retrieve works best for triggering finicky walleyes.
Northern Pike become very active in the cold fall water. Casting large jerkbaits, glide baits, large spinnerbaits, or fishing with small suckers along deep weed edges and rocky ledges can yield some of the biggest pike of the year. Keep in mind they are still hard to catch, however fall is arguably the best time of the year to target pike.
If you plan to target Northern Pike, be sure to bring proper release tools to ensure proper handling of these fish. A large net, long pliers, jaw spreaders, and a handling glove are staples in any serious pike angler’s arsenal.
Winter FishiNg (December – March)
Naturally, ice fishing is popular on Devil’s Lake. Although one can certainly catch Northern Pike, Panfish, and Walleyes, the star attraction during ice season are the Trout.
Trout lying on ice of Devil’s Lake, near Baraboo, WI
TROUT ARE A FAVORITE WINTER TARGET
They fight hard, are active under the ice, and are fabulous table fare! Additionally, Devil’s Lake offers the only Rainbow and Brown trout ice fishing opportunities on inland waters in southern Wisconsin. Whether you are an ice fishing novice or a seasoned professional, the trout fishing is accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
In the winter, trout can be found anywhere from 20 feet of water, all the way out to the deepest part of the lake. The South end of the lake is typically the most productive for winter trout. Most anglers focus their efforts in front of the cabins on the South West corner of the Lake, however the trout roam the open water in schools and can be caught all over.
BEWARE OF THIN ICE
Always check the ice as you walk out. There is no such thing as safe ice. Using a spud bar or drilling holes as you walk out is important to ensure the ice is safe enough for you to be on. In particular, ice thickness can vary near the South Boat Launch where Koshawago Spring enters the Lake; watch out for thin and/or irregular ice near this inlet.
Frying up trout on a portable stove while ice fishing on Devil’s Lake, Devil’s Lake State Park, WI
Winter Fishing Strategies
Generally, 30 feet of water is a good starting depth. Trout tend to hang out near the lake bottom during winter; however, some will swim around, suspended, about half-way to the surface. Electronic fish finders make short work of locating fish and dialing in what presentation the fish want on a given day.
Winter trout presentations are fairly simple, ranging from jigging with a light rod and small jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head, to using tip-downs and hook setting devices like Jaw Jackers and Automatic Fisherman rigged with fathead minnows on small hooks. One thing is for sure, Devil’s Lake trout have a hard time passing up a fathead minnow! Typically, anglers keep presentations within a few feet of the bottom, but it never hurts to try up high on occasion, in case some suspended fish come swimming by.
Trout Specific Regulations
Devil’s Lake is subject to special regulations, particularly pertaining to the trout fishery. Most inland waters are catch and release only during the early trout season, however, you ARE allowed to harvest trout all winter until the close of gamefish season (usually the first Sunday in March – check the regulations).
You DO need a trout stamp in addition to your fishing license to legally fish for trout at Devil’s Lake (applies to ages 16 and older).
Free Loaner Fishing Tackle
Fishing equipment is available via the Tackle Loaner Program. Be sure to call the park office to see what tackle and gear is available for you to borrow – free of charge!
Guided Fishing Trips at Devil’s Lake State Park
If you want to learn even more about fishing on Devil's Lake, hiring a guide is a great choice. Guided fishing trips are an excellent way to get a true hands-on experience and really get to know the intricacies of fishing Devil’s Lake.
There are a few options for fishing guides who offer trips on Devil's Lake, including Noah Humfeld with Madison Angling Guide Service, Austin Ragotzkie of Blue Ribbon Outdoors, and Wally Banfi of Ultimate Outdoors Radio. All of these fishing guides offer winter ice trips; Noah at Madison Angling also offers open water trout trips. Fishing with any of these guys will provide you a fun, educational, fishy day on the water.
Summary
Whether you are new to fishing or have been fishing your whole life, Devil’s Lake offers something for every angler. Whether it’s on a boat, from shore, or on the ice, there are fishing opportunities all year round, every season. Be sure to add fishing to your list of activities to enjoy at Devil’s Lake.