East Stephens Settling Basin in Saint Louis County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Minnesota, East Stephens Settling Basin falls inside Saint Louis County. This is mixed forest country. It measures some 256 acres, and wind has room to build across it. Few waters listed in Saint Louis County are bigger. Some 3.2 miles away sits Aurora, the nearest settlement. For a city, Thunder Bay is 148 miles off. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on East Stephens Settling Basin

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Public occurrence data for Saint Louis County names yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker, rainbow trout and walleye. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Read East Stephens Settling Basin before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 66°F, with January the cold end at about 3°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. That is the shape of the year on East Stephens Settling Basin.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Little Mesaba Lake at 1.7 miles is the nearest alternative. Ask locally about East Stephens Settling Basin if anything is unclear.