Best Places to Fish in Wisconsin: Nagawicka Lake
Located in Waukesha County, within the boundaries of Delafield and the city of Nashotah lies 981-acre Nagawicka Lake. Its ease of access from Milwaukee, just off of major expressway I-94, makes Nagawicka Lake a very popular destination for a variety of watersports, including fishing.
Nagawicka, meaning "there is sand," has a maximum depth of 90 feet, with water that is moderately clear. It gets its name from the numerous sand bars to the west of St. John's Island and along the western shoreline that make for excellent swimming spots.
Anglers however will realize they're in the middle of an excellent fishery that has the potential of giving up trophy-sized walleye and northern pike. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, perch and bluegill are other common species that are fished for here as well. Like any metro area lake, boat traffic can be very heavy on weekends and evenings. Anglers should concentrate their efforts on weekdays early morning or after dark during summer.
Interactive Lake Map
For a more detailed lake map and up to the minute fishing reports follow the Nagawicka Lake waterway page on Fishidy.
Here are some tips for locating and catching fish in Nagawicka Lake:
● Bass anglers should work the docks and piers in the morning, and move to the deeper weeds and drop offs later in the day. Jig n’ pigs, plastic worms, spinnerbaits and topwater “slop” baits are all effective presentations.
● White bass, crappie and bluegill will suspend over deep water in summer and early fall. Drift with live bait rigs or use a depthfinder to locate schools of fish, then verticle jig or use slip bobbers rigs and live bait.
● Walleye and northern pike are not abundant, but trophy size fish are available. Ice fishermen take some nice fish on tip ups and jigging spoons during the winter months.
● Cast jig/minnow combos for spring walleye in the Bark River inlet. Low-light periods are most productive.
● The island and the Horseshoe Bar area provide some of the best crappie and walleye action on the lake.
Fishidy is the premier map-based, social network for anglers. The online community gives anglers the ability to record and track their on-the-water experiences and view detailed fishing maps on over 17,000 bodies of water.
