Mark Lake Fishing near Grand Marais, Minnesota

• Overview

  Set in Cook County, Mark Lake is a Minnesota water. The country here is lake country bush. Around 128 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Around 2.5 miles of margin, front to back. It ranks high for size among our Cook County listings. For a base, Grand Marais sits 12 miles out. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 75 miles away. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Mark Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Cook County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Mark Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 7°F in January up to 63°F in July. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Mark Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Turtle Lake at 0.7 miles is the sensible second choice. Check the position on Mark Lake before loading the car.