South Cone Lake Fishing in Cook County, Minnesota

• Overview

  South Cone Lake is a Cook County water, in Minnesota. The bank is 1,831 feet above sea level. At about 70 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Shoreline comes to about 1.7 miles, small enough to learn in a day. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Minnesota listings. Nearest town is Grand Marais, 22 miles off. Further out sit Silver Bay (53 miles) and Ely (55 miles). It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on South Cone Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name white sucker, yellow perch and northern pike. The county list is broader than any single water. South Cone Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 5°F in January to roughly 63°F in July. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Time your trip to South Cone Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A toilet block sits 170 yards away. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Middle Cone Lake at 0.4 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat access at South Cone Lake as something to verify.