Beaver Lake Fishing Guide, Ramsey County, Minnesota

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Beaver Lake falls inside Ramsey County. The ground around here is pine and birch. It runs to roughly 84 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With about 1.4 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. It lies lower than most water we list in Minnesota. The closest town, Maplewood, is 1.4 miles away. The big place round here is Saint Paul, 5 miles distant. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Beaver Lake

  The deepest measured water here is close to 14 feet. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Ramsey County records list bluegill, common carp, black crappie and largemouth bass among the fish reported. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. At Beaver Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 74°F and January near 13°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Count the season from break-up, usually early April. The water is typically free of ice between early April and early December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Beaver Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is a car park half a mile from the bank. A pier half a mile from here gives a platform over deeper water. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Tanners Lake at 1.8 miles is the sensible second choice. Where Beaver Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.