Drake Lake Fishing near Silver Bay, Minnesota

• Overview

  Drake Lake lies in Lake County, in Minnesota. The surface lies 1,932 feet up. Surface area runs to about 3 acres — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Lake County list. Silver Bay at 13 miles is the nearest place to stop. Thunder Bay sits 121 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Drake Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Fish documented in Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch and northern pike. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Treat Drake Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 64°F and January about 4°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Open water usually runs from late April until about mid November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Anyone fishing Drake Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Katherine Lake, 1.1 miles out. Rules at Drake Lake are worth checking on the day.