Store Lake in Polk County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Store Lake falls in Polk County, part of Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,270 feet. Roughly 51 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Around 1.0 miles of margin, front to back. Fosston is the closest town at 9.6 miles. It is 75 miles to Fargo, the nearest city. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Store Lake

  The basin has been measured to about 22 feet. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Polk County cover yellow perch, brown bullhead, white sucker and northern pike. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. The shape of Store Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 68°F and January at 3°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly mid April. On average, mid April opens the water and mid November closes it again. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Anyone fishing Store Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Fishing from a pier is possible half a mile away. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Syverson Lake is 0.6 miles off. Nothing here settles the position at Store Lake for certain.