Picket Lake in Saint Louis County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, this is Picket Lake. This is mixed forest country. Roughly 308 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. There is roughly 4.6 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Few waters listed in Saint Louis County are bigger. The town to know is Ely, 28 miles out. After that come Babbitt at 34 miles and Aurora at 40 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Picket Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Open biodiversity records for Saint Louis County list yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Picket Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 65°F for July and 3°F for January. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about mid November in a typical year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. At Picket Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try Saltpork Lake, 2.2 miles away. For Picket Lake in particular, ask before you travel.