Fishing Ruth Lake in Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Ruth Lake falls inside Lake County. The bank is 1,581 feet above sea level. At about 44 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Shoreline comes to about 1.5 miles, small enough to learn in a day. It sits higher than most water we list in Minnesota. Two Harbors sits 13 miles from here and is the nearest stop. It is 146 miles to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Ruth Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Lake County list white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Take Ruth Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 64°F and January near 5°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Ruth Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Pigeon Lake is 0.6 miles off. Check the position at Ruth Lake before loading the car.