Little Butterball Lake near Hoyt Lakes: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  You will find Little Butterball Lake in Saint Louis County, Minnesota. The country here is lake country bush. The water covers some 34 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. It sits higher than most water we list in Minnesota. For supplies, Hoyt Lakes is 12 miles out. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 138 miles distant. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Little Butterball Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Saint Louis County, recorded fish include yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of Little Butterball Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 4°F to 64°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near mid November in autumn. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Little Butterball Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. The nearest alternative is Butterball Lake, 1.4 miles out. What applies at Little Butterball Lake may have changed since it was mapped.