Fishing Dime Lake in Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  The Lake County end of Minnesota holds Dime Lake. This is pine and birch country. Small at around 2 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Lake County. Ely sits 22 miles from the bank. The nearest city of size is Thunder Bay, 112 miles away. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Dime Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Species logged across Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch and northern pike. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. On Dime Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 64°F on average, January about 4°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That is the shape of the year on Dime Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Sphagnum Lake is 0.2 miles off. Treat Dime Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.