Hanson Lake Fishing near Babbitt, Minnesota

• Overview

  Set in Saint Louis County, Hanson Lake is a Minnesota water. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. Small even by pond standards, it rewards one careful line. Most waters listed here for Saint Louis County are larger. The nearest town is Babbitt, 6.8 miles away. Ely is 8.5 miles and Hoyt Lakes 23 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Hanson Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Saint Louis County include yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker, rainbow trout and walleye. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The shape of Hanson Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 65°F and January about 3°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Hanson Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Pearl Lake at 0.1 miles is the nearest alternative. What applies at Hanson Lake may have changed since it was mapped.