Retreat Lake Fishing in Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Minnesota holds Retreat in Lake County. The bank is 1,903 feet above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 16 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is a small entry by Lake County standards. Grand Marais sits 30 miles from the bank. Beyond it, Silver Bay at 36 miles and Ely at 42 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Retreat Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Lake County cover white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Retreat Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 63°F and January near 5°F on the long-run figures. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Retreat Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Little Snow Lake at 0.4 miles is the nearest alternative. What applies at Retreat Lake may have changed since it was mapped.