Cranberry Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  You will find Cranberry Lake in Carlton County, Minnesota. The bank is 1,066 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 12 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Carlton County. Head to Moose Lake, 2.3 miles away, for anything you forgot. Carlton is 19 miles and Cloquet 21 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Cranberry Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in Carlton County include bluegill, yellow perch, black crappie, largemouth bass and northern pike. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. On Cranberry Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 67°F; by January the average is down near 8°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about late November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. At Cranberry Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Mud Lake sits 0.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Where Cranberry Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.