Pickle Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Pickle Lake is an Itasca County water, in Minnesota. The setting is pine and birch on every side. Surface area is around 30 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Some 24 miles away sits Keewatin, the nearest settlement. Chisholm lies 27 miles off, Hibbing another 27 miles. Close by you have: Napoleon Lake (0.4 miles), Owen Lake at 0.9 miles, Blind Pete Lake (1.2 miles), Lost Lake at 1.4 miles and Walters Lake (1.6 miles). There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Pickle Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Itasca County list yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Pickle Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 66°F, the coldest about 4°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Open water usually runs from late April until about mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Anyone fishing Pickle Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Napoleon Lake is 0.4 miles off. What applies at Pickle Lake may have changed since it was mapped.