Back Lake in Cook County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Cook County entry here is Back Lake, in Minnesota. Country round the bank runs to lake country bush. It runs to roughly 25 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Minnesota listings. The nearest place of any size is Grand Marais, 22 miles away. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 79 miles away. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Back Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Back Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 63°F at the top of summer and 5°F at the bottom of winter. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. That is the shape of the year on Back Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Shift Lake, 0.5 miles out. Nothing on Back Lake should be assumed from this page alone.