Rush Lake in Cook County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Rush Lake sits in Cook County, out in Minnesota. It stands 1,936 feet above sea level. Roughly 264 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. There is roughly 5.8 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Size puts it in the front rank of our Cook County list. For a base, Grand Marais sits 24 miles out. Neebing is 56 miles away, with Ely at 59 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Rush Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Public occurrence data for Cook County names white sucker, yellow perch and northern pike. The county list is broader than any single water. Fish Rush Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 4°F in January up to 63°F in July. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Expect Rush Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Bedew Lake is 0.8 miles off. Check the position at Rush Lake before loading the car.