Fishing Windy Lake in Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Windy Lake lies in Lake County, in Minnesota. The surface lies 1,647 feet up. About 444 acres, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. The margin runs to about 4.7 miles in total. Few waters listed in Lake County are bigger. Some 32 miles away sits Silver Bay, the nearest settlement. After that come Grand Marais at 35 miles and Ely at 38 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Windy Lake

  The deepest measured water here is close to 45 feet. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch and northern pike. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Windy Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 5°F in January to roughly 64°F in July. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Windy Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is a mapped slipway roughly half a mile away. Overnight stays are possible about half a mile out, where camping is mapped. 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. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try T Lake, 1.2 miles away. Check the current arrangement for Windy Lake.