Fishing at Cleft Lake, Cook County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Cleft Lake is a Cook County water, Minnesota side. The bank is 1,827 feet above sea level. The water covers some 36 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The full circuit measures close to 1.3 miles on foot. It sits higher than most water we list in Minnesota. Head to Grand Marais, 26 miles away, for anything you forgot. For a city, Thunder Bay is 75 miles off. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Cleft Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Species logged across Cook County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Anyone new to Cleft Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 5°F and July at about 63°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. On Cleft Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. The nearest alternative is Gunstock Lake, 0.3 miles out. Ask locally about Cleft Lake if anything is unclear.