Kettle Lake Fishing near Ely, Minnesota

• Overview

  The Lake County end of Minnesota holds Kettle Lake. It sits at 1,453 feet above sea level. It measures about 42 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The whole outline is near 1.0 miles, and most of it is walkable. Some 32 miles away sits Ely, the nearest settlement. After that come Babbitt at 42 miles and Grand Marais at 47 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Kettle Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Kettle Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 65°F at the top of summer and 4°F at the bottom of winter. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Kettle Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. A campsite lies half a mile away for anyone staying over. The water borders 6, so reserve rules are likely to apply. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Dix Lake, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Kettle Lake in what we hold.