Sprite Lake Fishing Guide, Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  This water sits in Saint Louis County, Minnesota. Land around it is pine and birch. Small at around 12 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for Saint Louis County are larger. Start from Ely, 11 miles down the road. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 135 miles distant. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Sprite Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Saint Louis County records list yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker among the fish reported. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. The near bank of Sprite Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 65°F and January near 2°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Open water usually runs from late April until about mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. It sets the rhythm of the year at Sprite Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Phantom Lake at 0.4 miles is the nearest alternative. Check the position at Sprite Lake before loading the car.