Lantern Lake Fishing in Cook County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Lantern Lake is one of the Cook County waters in Minnesota. The setting is mixed forest on every side. At 11 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is a small entry by Cook County standards. The closest town, Grand Marais, is 17 miles away. After that come Neebing at 52 miles and Silver Bay at 59 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lantern Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Species logged across Cook County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Lantern Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 63°F on average, January about 5°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about mid November in a typical year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lantern Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Globe Lake, 0.4 miles out. Where Lantern Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.