Cooper Lake Fishing near Crosslake, Minnesota

• Overview

  Set in Cass County, Minnesota, this is Cooper Lake. It stands 1,306 feet above sea level. Roughly 133 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. About 2.6 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. For supplies, Crosslake is 22 miles out. The big place round here is Fargo, 122 miles distant. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Cooper Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. 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. Survey and observation records for Cass County include largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill, walleye and northern pike. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The near bank of Cooper Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 68°F and January reads 6°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly late November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. The season on Cooper Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. There is a pier recorded roughly 0.9 miles away. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Jack Lake at 1.4 miles is the nearest alternative. The position on Cooper Lake is worth confirming on the day.