Fishing Muskrat Lake in Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Within Saint Louis County, Minnesota, you have Muskrat Lake. It lies 1,273 feet above sea level. It covers about 9 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. On size it sits at the modest end of our Saint Louis County list. Some 19 miles away sits Cloquet, the nearest settlement. Beyond it, Hermantown at 22 miles and Esko at 23 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Muskrat Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. 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. Saint Louis County records list yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker among the fish reported. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Fish Muskrat Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 66°F; by January the average is down near 6°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Muskrat Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Round Lake is 1.1 miles off. Check the current arrangement for Muskrat Lake.