Delay Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Delay Lake lies in Lake County, in Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,939 feet. With some 102 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Shoreline comes to about 1.7 miles, small enough to learn in a day. It sits higher than most water we list in Minnesota. For supplies, Silver Bay is 23 miles out. Further out sit Babbitt (30 miles) and Ely (32 miles). No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Delay Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Anyone new to Delay Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 4°F in January to roughly 64°F in July. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan any trip to Delay Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Shoofly Lake is 0.7 miles distant. Rules at Delay Lake are worth checking on the day.