Fishing at Burgo Lake, Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Burgo Lake sits in Saint Louis County, out in Minnesota. The land about it is mixed forest. Surface area runs to about 20 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Saint Louis County. Head to Ely, 2.4 miles away, for anything you forgot. It is 123 miles to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Burgo Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Saint Louis County records list yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker, rainbow trout and walleye among the fish reported. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Take Burgo Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 65°F and January at 3°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Burgo Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. You will be walking about half a mile from the nearest car park. Old Koschak Farm Wildlife Management Area takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Miners Lake, 1.7 miles away. Check the position at Burgo Lake before loading the car.