Fishing at Lily Lake, Cook County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Lily Lake is one of the Cook County listings for Minnesota. The land about it is rolling bush. At roughly 18 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Minnesota listings. Grand Marais lies 20 miles from the water. Further out sit Silver Bay (54 miles) and Ely (56 miles). The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lily Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in Cook County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. The county list is broader than any single water. Lily Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 63°F and January at 5°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Lily Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Mulligan Lake is 0.4 miles distant. The position on Lily Lake is worth confirming on the day.