Fool Hen Lake in Lake County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Fool Hen Lake in Lake County, Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,614 feet. This is a pocket water of some 15 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Most waters listed here for Lake County are larger. Silver Bay lies 34 miles from the water. The nearest city of size is Thunder Bay, 97 miles away. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Fool Hen Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Lake County, recorded fish include white sucker, yellow perch and northern pike. The county list is broader than any single water. The shape of Fool Hen Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 64°F and January about 5°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. The season on Fool Hen Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. The nearest alternative is Perent Lake, 1.7 miles out. Treat Fool Hen Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.