Fishing Elbow Lake in Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Elbow Lake lies in Saint Louis County, in Minnesota. The setting is mixed forest on every side. The water covers some 168 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The nearest place of any size is Eveleth, 4.5 miles away. It is 170 miles to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Elbow Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker and rainbow trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Elbow Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 66°F and January near 5°F on the long-run figures. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan around that when you fish Elbow Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Kapla Lake, 1.9 miles away. Ask locally about Elbow Lake if anything is unclear.