Prairie Lake Fishing near Keewatin, Minnesota

• Overview

  Prairie Lake sits within Saint Louis County in Minnesota. It lies 1,358 feet above sea level. The water covers some 29 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Nearest town is Keewatin, 14 miles off. It is 176 miles to Fargo, the nearest city. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Prairie Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Saint Louis County cover yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Prairie Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 66°F in July and bottoms out near 5°F in January. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Expect Prairie Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. O' Learty Lake sits 1.2 miles off and takes the overflow. Rules at Prairie Lake are worth checking on the day.