Fishing at Turn Lake, Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Turn Lake sits in Lake County, out in Minnesota. Elevation runs to 1,407 feet. The water covers some 72 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. With about 2.0 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. 37 miles away sits Ely, the nearest town. Further out sit Atikokan (40 miles) and Babbitt (49 miles). No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Turn Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Anyone new to Turn Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 64°F and January reads 3°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about mid November in a typical year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. On Turn Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Edge Lake, 0.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Turn Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.