Wilson Lake in Lake County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Wilson Lake in the Lake County part of Minnesota. It sits in pine and birch country. The water covers some 174 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline length is close to 4.8 miles, and each section fishes a little differently. It ranks high for size among our Lake County listings. Start from Ely, 18 miles down the road. Thunder Bay sits 112 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Wilson Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch and northern pike. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. At Wilson Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 3°F to 65°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Wilson Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Kett Lake, 1.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Wilson Lake in particular, ask before you travel.