Baylis Lake in Saint Louis County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Baylis Lake in Saint Louis County, Minnesota. Elevation runs to 1,220 feet. It runs to roughly 65 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Bank access stretches around 1.7 miles in total. Some 34 miles away sits Ely, the nearest settlement. Babbitt is 42 miles and Parkville 49 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Baylis Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Public occurrence data for Saint Louis County names yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker and rainbow trout. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Baylis Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 66°F; the cold one sits at 4°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Plan around that when you fish Baylis Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Herriman Lake is 0.9 miles distant. For Baylis Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.