Devil Track Lake in Cook County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Cook County, Minnesota, you have Devil Track Lake. It sits in pine and birch. This is sizeable water at about 2.9 sq miles, and a boat opens up most of it. The shoreline runs about 14 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. On our Cook County list it sits near the top for size. Grand Marais lies 6.5 miles from the water. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 66 miles away. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Devil Track Lake

  The basin drops to a measured 57 feet. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Cook County names white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout. The county list is broader than any single water. Fish Devil Track Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 63°F and January at 7°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Devil Track Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. This is a reservoir by origin, with the deepest water near the dam. A jetty or pier is mapped about half a mile from here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Pocket Lake sits 1.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Check the position on Devil Track Lake before loading the car.