Pickerel Lake Fishing in Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Pickerel Lake falls inside Itasca County. The bank is 1,335 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 26 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Head to Cohasset, 14 miles away, for anything you forgot. After that come Grand Rapids at 17 miles and Coleraine at 17 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Pickerel Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Itasca County include yellow perch, largemouth bass and northern pike. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Treat Pickerel Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 4°F and July at about 67°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Pickerel Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Camp Five Lakes is 0.4 miles off. For Pickerel Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.