Peterson Lake Fishing Guide, Cook County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Set in Cook County, Minnesota, this is Peterson Lake. It sits at 1,749 feet above sea level. Roughly 94 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Compared with other Minnesota water on our list, it sits high. Nearest place of any size is Grand Marais, 24 miles away. Then Silver Bay, 44 miles, and Ely, 49 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Peterson Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Cook County records list white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Peterson Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 63°F, the coldest about 5°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. That is the shape of the year on Peterson Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. Overnight stays are possible half a mile away. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Baker Lake is 0.6 miles distant. Treat Peterson Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.