Fishing Little Vermilion Lake in Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Set in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, this is Little Vermilion Lake. The surface lies 1,106 feet up. Surface area runs to roughly 453 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. The outline measures near 17 miles, so a boat opens up water the bank never reaches. On our Saint Louis County list it sits near the top for size. The nearest town is Ely, 36 miles away. Then Babbitt, 45 miles, and Atikokan, 49 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Little Vermilion Lake

  The basin has been measured to about 59 feet. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Saint Louis County include yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker, rainbow trout and walleye. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Little Vermilion Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 66°F on average, January about 4°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Little Vermilion Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A toilet block sits half a mile away. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. The nearest alternative is Dovre Lake, 0.9 miles out. Treat Little Vermilion Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.