Fishing at Deadmans Lake, Crow Wing County, Minnesota

• Overview

  The Crow Wing County entry here is Deadmans Lake, in Minnesota. The water sits 1,220 feet up. At about 40 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Around 1.0 miles of margin, front to back. Crosby is the closest place, 6.5 miles off. Further out sit Crosslake (10 miles) and Aitkin (11 miles). The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Deadmans Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. 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. Reported across Crow Wing County: largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, northern pike and pumpkinseed. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Deadmans Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 7°F to 69°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Plan around that when you fish Deadmans Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Stanley Lake is 1.6 miles off. Signs at Deadmans Lake carry more weight than any list.