Fishing at Saltpork Lake, Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Saint Louis County, Minnesota, is where Saltpork Lake sits. The water sits 1,398 feet up. The water measures roughly 13 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Saint Louis County. Head to Ely, 26 miles away, for anything you forgot. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 144 miles distant. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Saltpork Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Saint Louis County cover yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker, rainbow trout and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Saltpork Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 65°F for July and 3°F for January. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about mid November in a typical year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. On Saltpork Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Gustafson Lake is 1.1 miles distant. What applies at Saltpork Lake may have changed since it was mapped.