Ram Lake Fishing near Grand Marais, Minnesota

• Overview

  Look for Ram Lake in the Cook County part of Minnesota. The bank gives way to pine and birch. Roughly 68 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The bank runs about 1.6 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Minnesota listings. For a base, Grand Marais sits 15 miles out. Thunder Bay sits 63 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Ram Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name white sucker, yellow perch and northern pike. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. The shape of Ram Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 63°F and January at 5°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Ram Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. Mapping records toilets within 150 yards. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Kroft Lake sits 0.5 miles off and takes the overflow. Check the position on Ram Lake before loading the car.