Fishing near Stoughton ultimately revolves around that granddaddy of all fishing holes in this part of southern Wisconsin: Lake Kegonsa. Downtown Stoughton sits right on the Yahara River, a few minutes from the lake itself, which puts it in the middle of some of the most productive fishing water in southern Wisconsin. People have been fishing this water for a very long time — a Ho-Chunk fishing camp once stood at what’s now Lake Kegonsa State Park, on a point of land the Ho-Chunk and early settlers both knew as a gathering place for fishing, hunting, and camping.
Whether you’re chasing walleye at first light or just want to drop a line after a morning of gift shopping on Main Street, here’s what you need to know about fishing in and around Stoughton.
Lake Kegonsa: the main event for Stoughton fishing
Lake Kegonsa is a 3,200-acre lake just north of town, the southernmost link in the Yahara chain and fed by the same river that runs through downtown Stoughton. The DNR stocks it with walleye and northern pike, and those two species — along with a strong panfish population — are what the lake is best known for. Largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish, and the occasional musky round out the mix. Pike in the 35- to 40-inch range are caught regularly enough that it’s not considered a fluke.
Fishing action picks up as soon as the inland game season opens the first weekend in May, when walleye stack up over freshly developed weed beds and rock bars — live bait rigs and crankbaits cast over the tops of the weeds are the standard approach here, and trolling crankbaits has become increasingly popular with local anglers. As June progresses, look to the edges of weed beds for a mixed bag: walleye, perch, bluegill, crappie, and bass, worked with slip bobbers and live bait rigs tipped with nightcrawlers.
Night fishing for walleye is a local habit for good reason. Once summer heat sets in, pike push toward cooler water near springs and creek mouths, while bass, walleye, and pike all get caught right off the state park shoreline. Fall brings the walleye and panfish bite back in earnest, and by winter, ice fishing takes over, drawing panfish, perch, walleye, and the occasional pike or musky through the ice.
Water clarity on Kegonsa runs low, which means this is a lake you fish by structure and pattern rather than by sight. Fish finder devices and chatter from local anglers will be your friends here. It also means the fishing pressure stays lighter than on some of the clearer, more heavily trafficked lakes upstream toward Madison.
The lake gets plenty of official care and attention: Kegonsa is part of a five-lake rotation that the DNR and Clean Lakes Alliance survey on a five-year cycle, with staff setting fyke nets each spring, shortly after ice-off, to track walleye, pike, and musky as they move toward shore to spawn. It’s one of the reasons the fishery here has stayed healthy enough to be worth the trip.
Where to get on the water:
- Lake Kegonsa State Park — boat launch, fishing pier, and swimming beach on the northeast shore, off Park Road. A vehicle admission sticker is required.
- Fish Camp County Park — a boat launch and fishing pier on the north side of the lake.
- LaFollette County Park — on the eastern shore, where the lake outlets into the Yahara River. Shore fishing is available right at the lock and dam, and it also serves as a put-in if you’d rather paddle than cast from the bank.
- The Lake Kegonsa public boat launch — a smaller, one-lane concrete ramp off Quam Drive on the south side of the lake.
If you want to make an afternoon of it, Springers, on the lake’s north shore, has been a lakeside fixture in one form or another since the early 1900s — it started as a small grocery and general store for lake visitors before eventually becoming a full restaurant. Good spot to end a morning on the water with a substantial lunch.
For anglers willing to range a little further, Lake Waubesa sits one lake north on the same chain and has a strong reputation of its own: it’s the lake that produced Wisconsin’s state-record yellow bass, a 2-pound, 12-ounce fish caught in 2013.
Fishing the Yahara River in Stoughton
You don’t have to leave Stoughton to fish the Yahara. The river runs through the heart of downtown, and anglers regularly work the water below the South Fourth Street bridge, near the city’s dam. Upstream, LaFollette County Park offers additional shore access at the lock and dam where the river leaves Lake Kegonsa, and it doubles as a launch point if you’d rather cover water by boat — from there it’s roughly a five-mile paddle down to Riverside Park in the center of town, passing through the flowage that runs behind Main Street.
Worth knowing if you’re planning ahead: Stoughton has long-term plans to remove that downtown dam and building a whitewater park with improved paddler and angler access in its place. It’s a live civic project that will take time to be fully realized, but for planning future fishing trips, it’s worth checking back on.
Getting set up to fish near Stoughton
You’ll need a few things to get started on your Stoughton angling adventure.
Wisconsin fishing license
You’ll need a Wisconsin fishing license, which you can buy online through the DNR’s Go Wild system, or in person at DNR service centers and authorized retailers statewide. Regulations — bag limits, length limits, and season dates — vary by species and by water, and Lake Kegonsa carries a few special rules on top of the statewide defaults, including year-round catch-and-release fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Because these details are reviewed and can change from year to year, check the DNR’s fishing regulations page for Lake Kegonsa directly before you head out.
Bait and tackle near Stoughton
For bait-and-tackle basics, Stoughton’s Tractor Supply Co. and Walmart both carry tackle, and Walmart stocks live nightcrawlers. If you want a dedicated bait and tackle shop with a deeper selection, plan on a short drive to Madison or Janesville.
For other outdoors activities near Stoughton, see our article on Southern Wisconsin Outdoors.
