Fishing at Kale Lake, Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Kale Lake stands in Lake County, Minnesota. The setting is pine and birch on every side. At roughly 18 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Start from Ely, 40 miles down the road. After that come Grand Marais at 42 miles and Babbitt at 50 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Kale Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch and northern pike. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Take Kale Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 65°F and January near 4°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. That is the shape of the year on Kale Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. If the gate is shut, Holt Lake at 0.5 miles is the nearest alternative. Check the position at Kale Lake before loading the car.