Skull Lake in Lake County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Skull Lake lies in Lake County, Minnesota. The water sits 1,348 feet up. With some 28 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Ely is the closest town at 21 miles. Babbitt lies 32 miles off, Hoyt Lakes another 47 miles. Round about: Newfound Lake lies 0.3 miles on, Spree Lake after 0.4 miles, Thermal Lake lies 0.6 miles on, Found Lake after 0.9 miles and Jinx Lake lies 1.1 miles on. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Skull Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Skull Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 65°F and January at 4°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. It holds true on Skull Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. A campsite lies half a mile away for anyone staying over. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Newfound Lake, 0.3 miles out. Treat access at Skull Lake as something to verify.