Horseshoe Lake Fishing in Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Saint Louis County, Minnesota, is where Horseshoe Lake sits. It lies 1,362 feet above sea level. Roughly 90 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The full circuit measures close to 1.9 miles on foot. Eveleth is the closest place, 3.6 miles off. Thunder Bay sits 166 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Horseshoe Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Species logged across Saint Louis County include yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker, rainbow trout and walleye. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Horseshoe Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 66°F and January reads 4°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near late November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Horseshoe Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Mud Lake is 0.9 miles distant. Check the position at Horseshoe Lake before loading the car.