Short Lake Fishing Guide, Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Look for Short Lake in the Lake County part of Minnesota. The ground round it is lake country bush. At 9 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Most waters listed here for Lake County are larger. Grand Marais lies 35 miles from the water. After that come Ely at 37 miles and Silver Bay at 39 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Short Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. 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. Survey and observation records for Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Anyone new to Short Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 64°F at the top of summer and 5°F at the bottom of winter. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. That is the shape of the year on Short Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Watonwan Lake, 0.6 miles out. Nothing here settles the position at Short Lake for certain.