Fishing at Spider Lake, Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Spider Lake stands in Lake County, Minnesota. The bank is 1,457 feet above sea level. The water covers some 29 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. You are 31 miles from Ely. Thunder Bay sits 94 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Within easy reach: Dix Lake at 0.5 miles, Kettle Lake (0.6 miles), Grubstake Lake at 0.6 miles, Skoota Lake (0.7 miles) and Redface Lake at 0.7 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Spider Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Species logged across Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch and northern pike. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Spider Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 65°F in July and bottom out at 4°F in January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to late November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Spider Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. A campsite is mapped about half a mile away, which makes an early start easier. The water borders 6, so expect the reserve rules to apply. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Dix Lake at 0.5 miles is the sensible second choice. The position on Spider Lake is worth confirming on the day.