Fishing Toohey Lake in Cook County, Minnesota

• Overview

  You will find Toohey Lake in Cook County, Minnesota. The ground round it is rolling bush. At 363 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. Some 3.2 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. On our Cook County list it sits near the top for size. Nearest place of any size is Grand Marais, 29 miles away. Beyond it, Silver Bay at 33 miles and Ely at 44 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Toohey Lake

  Recorded soundings reach about 12 feet at the deepest point. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Cook County cover white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. The near bank of Toohey Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 64°F and January at 6°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Plan any trip to Toohey Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. A slipway is marked about half a mile from here. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. Toilets are half a mile away, which matters on a long session. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Failing this one, try Fox Lake, 0.8 miles away. Where Toohey Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.