Eighteen Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  You will find Eighteen Lake in Lake County, Minnesota. It lies 1,883 feet above sea level. Around 100 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. The edge runs 1.9 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It sits higher than most water we list in Minnesota. For supplies, Silver Bay is 24 miles out. The nearest city of size is Thunder Bay, 109 miles away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Eighteen Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Fish Eighteen Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 4°F to 64°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near mid November in autumn. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Time your trip to Eighteen Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Boat access is recorded roughly half a mile away. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Ellen Lake at 0.6 miles is the nearest alternative. Nothing on Eighteen Lake should be assumed from this page alone.