Beaver Lake Fishing near Ely, Minnesota

• Overview

  Beaver Lake sits in Lake County, out in Minnesota. It stands 1,381 feet above sea level. Roughly 45 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Bank access stretches around 1.3 miles in total. Head to Ely, 31 miles away, for anything you forgot. Further out sit Babbitt (42 miles) and Atikokan (48 miles). It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Beaver Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Fish documented in Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout. The county list is broader than any single water. On Beaver Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 3°F to 65°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It holds true on Beaver Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Fisher Lake sits 0.9 miles off and takes the overflow. Check the position on Beaver Lake before loading the car.