Picketts Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Picketts Lake falls inside Saint Louis County. Elevation runs to 1,417 feet. Roughly 28 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. 4.7 miles away sits Ely, the nearest town. Thunder Bay sits 121 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Other water within reach: Cedar Lake roughly 0.7 miles, Hobo Lake 1.1 miles off, Low Lake roughly 1.6 miles, Browns Lake 2.1 miles off and Bright Lake roughly 2.1 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Picketts Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Survey and observation records for Saint Louis County include yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker and rainbow trout. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. The near bank of Picketts Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 3°F to 65°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That shapes the year on Picketts Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. There is a pier recorded roughly half a mile away. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Cedar Lake, 0.7 miles out. Confirm before you fish Picketts Lake.