Markham Lake Fishing Guide, Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Within Saint Louis County, Minnesota, you have Markham Lake. Height above sea level is 1,417 feet. It runs to roughly 221 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. There is roughly 3.1 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Size puts it in the front rank of our Saint Louis County list. Start from Hoyt Lakes, 14 miles down the road. The nearest city of size is Thunder Bay, 156 miles away. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Markham Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Species logged across Saint Louis County include yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. The shape of Markham Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 65°F at the top of summer and 4°F at the bottom of winter. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Expect Markham Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Failing this one, try Little Markham Lake, 1.7 miles away. Treat Markham Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.