Otter Lake Fishing Guide, Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Otter Lake sits in Saint Louis County, out in Minnesota. The bank is 1,444 feet above sea level. At about 69 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Ely sits 14 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Babbitt is 22 miles away, with Aurora at 32 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Otter Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Saint Louis County records list yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker and rainbow trout among the fish reported. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Otter Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 65°F, while January sits near 2°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The open-water window runs from around late April to about mid November in an average year. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. On Otter Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Failing this one, try Nisswi Lake, 1.9 miles away. For Otter Lake in particular, ask before you travel.