Robinson Lake Fishing near Ely, Minnesota

• Overview

  Robinson Lake sits in Saint Louis County, out in Minnesota. This is rolling bush ground. It runs to roughly 126 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The whole outline is near 2.7 miles, and most of it is walkable. Start from Ely, 9 miles down the road. It is 134 miles to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Robinson Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Saint Louis County list yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker, rainbow trout and walleye. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Treat Robinson Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 65°F and January near 2°F on the long-run figures. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. That is the shape of the year on Robinson Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Deadman Lake is 0.6 miles off. Rules at Robinson Lake are worth checking on the day.