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

• Overview

  The Saint Louis County end of Minnesota holds Pot Hole Lake. It sits at 1,234 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to about 8 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is a small entry by Saint Louis County standards. The closest town, International Falls, is 40 miles away. Fort Frances is 40 miles away, with Ely at 46 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Pot Hole Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Species logged across Saint Louis County include yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Pot Hole Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 65°F, the coldest about 5°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. That is the shape of the year on Pot Hole Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Moose Lake, 1.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Pot Hole Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.