Otter Lake Fishing in Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Otter Lake sits in Lake County, out in Minnesota. It lies 2,008 feet above sea level. At 8 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Our Lake County list holds plenty of bigger water. Silver Bay is the closest town at 19 miles. Babbitt is 29 miles and Ely 34 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Otter Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Lake County, recorded fish include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Work Otter Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 4°F to 63°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Otter Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Crown Lake, 0.7 miles out. Where Otter Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.