Cattyman Lake Fishing in Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  The Lake County end of Minnesota holds Cattyman Lake. The bank gives way to pine and birch. It covers about 17 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Ely is the closest place, 26 miles off. For a city, Thunder Bay is 99 miles off. If this one is busy: Gibson Lake within 0.4 miles, 0.4 miles away is Adventure Lake, Swing Lake within 0.6 miles, 0.6 miles away is Jordan Lake and Three Eagle Lake within 0.8 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Cattyman Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Species logged across Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Cattyman Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 4°F in January to roughly 65°F in July. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Cattyman Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. A camping area sits within half a mile of here. 1 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. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. The nearest alternative is Gibson Lake, 0.4 miles out. Treat access at Cattyman Lake as something to verify.