Section Eleven Lake near Chisholm: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Section Eleven Lake is a Saint Louis County water, Minnesota side. The bank is 1,381 feet above sea level. With some 34 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Start from Chisholm, 18 miles down the road. Fargo is the closest city, 182 miles away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Section Eleven Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Saint Louis County cover yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Section Eleven Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 5°F and July at about 65°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. The season on Section Eleven Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Johnson Lake is 0.4 miles distant. Rules at Section Eleven Lake are worth checking on the day.