Lake Three Fishing near Ely, Minnesota

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Lake Three belongs to Lake County. The bank gives way to rolling bush. At 1,122 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. It ranks high for size among our Lake County listings. Ely is the closest town at 20 miles. After that come Babbitt at 27 miles and Hoyt Lakes at 42 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lake Three

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Lake County cover white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Read Lake Three before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 65°F and January at 4°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Lake Three fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Rifle Lake at 1.2 miles is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Lake Three for certain.