Fishing at Black Lake, Carlton County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Black Lake lies in Carlton County, in Minnesota. The bank is 1,309 feet above sea level. At 9 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is a small entry by Carlton County standards. Moose Lake is the closest town at 20 miles. Minneapolis is the closest city, 121 miles away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Black Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Carlton County cover bluegill, yellow perch and black crappie. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Read Black Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 67°F and January about 7°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. The season between ice runs from about mid April to late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It sets the rhythm of the year at Black Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Cross Lake sits 1.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat Black Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.