Mink Lake Fishing in Cook County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Mink Lake is listed under Cook County, Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,657 feet. Roughly 56 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The edge runs 1.2 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It sits higher than most water we list in Minnesota. The closest town, Grand Marais, is 9.6 miles away. Thunder Bay sits 57 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Mink Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across Cook County: white sucker, yellow perch and northern pike. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. On Mink Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 6°F in January and 63°F in July. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Mink Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is a slipway at Kimbal Lake Boat Ramp, roughly half a mile off. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Boys Lake at 0.4 miles is the nearest alternative. None of that is settled for Mink Lake in what we hold.