Fishing at Papoose Lake, Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Papoose Lake is a Saint Louis County water, in Minnesota. The country here is pine and birch. With some 38 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Bank access stretches around 0.9 miles in total. The closest town, Ely, is 18 miles away. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 118 miles distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Papoose Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. 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. Papoose Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 65°F and January near 3°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That shapes the year on Papoose Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A campsite is mapped about half a mile away, which makes an early start easier. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Chippewa Lake is 0.4 miles distant. Nothing here settles the position at Papoose Lake for certain.