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

• Overview

  Pot Lake is one of the Saint Louis County waters in Minnesota. The land about it is pine and birch. At roughly 11 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Most waters listed here for Saint Louis County are larger. The nearest place of any size is Aurora, 8.8 miles away. Thunder Bay sits 157 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Pot Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Reported across Saint Louis County: yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Pot Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 4°F to 65°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. On Pot Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Frying Pan Lake, 0.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Pot Lake may have changed since it was mapped.