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

• Overview

  Carlson Lake is a Saint Louis County water, in Minnesota. Beyond the shoreline you have rolling bush. It runs to roughly 108 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The bank runs about 2.0 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. The town to know is Ely, 36 miles out. Further out sit Mountain Iron (37 miles) and Parkville (37 miles). It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Carlson Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Survey and observation records for Saint Louis County include yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker, rainbow trout and walleye. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Fish Carlson Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 4°F to 65°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Plan any trip to Carlson Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. A platform or pier sits within half a mile. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Ban Lake sits 2.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Carlson Lake for certain.