Fishing at Strup Lake, Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Lake County, Minnesota, is where Strup Lake sits. The water sits 1,578 feet up. Surface area is around 71 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Bank access stretches around 1.5 miles in total. It is high ground by Minnesota standards. For supplies, Ely is 33 miles out. Babbitt is 42 miles and Grand Marais 44 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Strup Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Lake County list white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Strup Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 65°F, with January the cold end at about 4°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Plan around that when you fish Strup Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. If the gate is shut, Wisini Lake at 0.4 miles is the nearest alternative. The position on Strup Lake is worth confirming on the day.