Fishing Nigh Lake in Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Nigh Lake is a Saint Louis County water, in Minnesota. The bank gives way to lake country bush. The water covers some 41 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 1.4 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Supplies mean a trip to Ely, 26 miles off. Babbitt is 33 miles away, with Aurora at 41 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Nigh Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Reported across Saint Louis County: yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Nigh Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 65°F, with January the cold end at about 3°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. From about late April to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. That shapes the year on Nigh Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A campsite is mapped about half a mile away, which makes an early start easier. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Pauline Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Nigh Lake.