Fishing at Ptolemy Lake, Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Ptolemy Lake lies in Lake County, Minnesota. This is lake country bush country. With some 218 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. At about 6.0 miles of edge, most people work one arm at a time. It ranks high for size among our Lake County listings. For a base, Ely sits 32 miles out. Further out sit Atikokan (35 miles) and Babbitt (45 miles). The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Ptolemy Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. County-wide records name white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Fish Ptolemy Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 2°F in January up to 65°F in July. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan around that when you fish Ptolemy Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Trant Lake is 1.6 miles off. The position on Ptolemy Lake is worth confirming on the day.