Fishing at Meander Lake, Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Saint Louis County, Minnesota, is where Meander Lake sits. Height above sea level is 1,286 feet. Around 34 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. About 0.9 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Supplies mean a trip to Cloquet, 22 miles off. The nearest city of size is Minneapolis, 126 miles away. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Meander Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Saint Louis County include yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker, rainbow trout and walleye. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Meander Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 7°F in January and 67°F in July. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. On average, mid April opens the water and late November closes it again. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. At Meander Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Prairie Lake is 0.9 miles distant. None of that is settled for Meander Lake in what we hold.