Larsen Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Larsen Lake is one of the Cook County waters in Minnesota. The bank is 1,896 feet above sea level. Roughly 37 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The edge runs 1.7 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Compared with other Minnesota water on our list, it sits high. Some 21 miles away sits Grand Marais, the nearest settlement. Neebing lies 55 miles off, Silver Bay another 58 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Larsen Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Cook County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Larsen Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 4°F in January to roughly 63°F in July. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Expect Larsen Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Pillsbery Lake at 1.1 miles is the sensible second choice. Confirm before you fish Larsen Lake.