Fishing at Mud Lake, Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Look for Mud Lake in the Saint Louis County part of Minnesota. It sits at 1,181 feet above sea level. About 11 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. It is a small entry by Saint Louis County standards. Some 30 miles away sits Fort Frances, the nearest settlement. It is 162 miles to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Mud Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Saint Louis County records list yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker, rainbow trout and walleye among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Mud Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 66°F and January near 4°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Anyone fishing Mud Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Beast Lake, 1.2 miles away. Confirm access to Mud Lake locally before you travel.