Fishing at Pelican Lake, Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Out in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, sits Pelican Lake. The surface lies 1,280 feet up. This is big water, about 18.5 sq miles, and in a wind it behaves like a small sea. There is roughly 45 miles of bank, and each arm behaves like its own water. Size puts it in the front rank of our Saint Louis County list. Mountain Iron sits 39 miles from the bank. Chisholm is 40 miles and Parkville 40 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Pelican Lake

  The basin has been measured to about 41 feet. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Public occurrence data for Saint Louis County names yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Treat Pelican Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 66°F for July and 6°F for January. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Pelican Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. 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. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Gabrielson Lake is 3.2 miles distant. Nothing on Pelican Lake should be assumed from this page alone.