Island Lake Reservoir in Saint Louis County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Island Lake Reservoir sits within Saint Louis County in Minnesota. Around the bank it is lake country bush. Around 9.3 sq miles of open water: conditions change from one end to the other. At about 62 miles of edge, most people fish a single area and learn it well. Size puts it in the front rank of our Saint Louis County list. Arnold at 11 miles is the nearest place to stop. Saint Paul sits 149 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Island Lake Reservoir

  Surveys put the deepest water at about 103 feet. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Public occurrence data for Saint Louis County names yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker and rainbow trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Island Lake Reservoir the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 66°F in July and bottom out at 6°F in January. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. At Island Lake Reservoir the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Apple Lake at 1.1 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm before you fish Island Lake Reservoir.