Gem Lake in Lake County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Gem Lake belongs to Lake County. It sits at 1,421 feet above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 12 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is a small entry by Lake County standards. 17 miles away sits Ely, the nearest town. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 108 miles distant. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Gem Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Lake County records list white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout among the fish reported. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. At Gem Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 3°F to 65°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Gem Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Judd Lake at 1 mile is the nearest alternative. For Gem Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.