Locator Lake Fishing in Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Locator Lake is set in Saint Louis County, Minnesota. It stands 1,135 feet above sea level. At about 216 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The perimeter runs near 3.2 miles, so plan the walk before you start. Size puts it in the front rank of our Saint Louis County list. Supplies mean a trip to Fort Frances, 19 miles off. Beyond it, International Falls at 19 miles and Emo at 39 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Locator Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Saint Louis County include yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. On Locator Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 66°F in July and bottom out at 4°F in January. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Locator Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, War Club Lake is 0.7 miles off. None of that is settled for Locator Lake in what we hold.