Creeper Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Minnesota holds Creeper Lake, in Cook County. The surface lies 1,959 feet up. Surface area runs to about 11 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is a small entry by Cook County standards. Grand Marais is the closest place, 22 miles off. It is 68 miles to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Creeper Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Cook County include white sucker, yellow perch and northern pike. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The near bank of Creeper Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 63°F on average, January about 4°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. At Creeper Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Beta Lake is 0.6 miles off. Confirm before you fish Creeper Lake.