Pistol Lake in Cook County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Cook County end of Minnesota holds Pistol Lake. Pine and birch runs right down to the water. About 8 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. On size it sits at the modest end of our Cook County list. Grand Marais at 14 miles is the nearest place to stop. Beyond it, Neebing at 43 miles and Westfort at 55 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Pistol Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Cook County list white sucker, yellow perch and northern pike. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. On Pistol Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 5°F to 63°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Pistol Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Logger Lake, 0.4 miles away. None of that is settled for Pistol Lake in what we hold.