Fishing Yoke Lake in Lake County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Yoke Lake sits in Lake County, out in Minnesota. The bank gives way to pine and birch. Compared with other Minnesota water on our list, it sits high. 32 miles away sits Ely, the nearest town. For a city, Thunder Bay is 95 miles off. Within a short drive: Jupiter Lake within 0.7 miles, Screamer Lake a touch under 0.9 miles, Maniwaki Lake within 1.5 miles, Andek Lake a touch under 1.5 miles and Puffer Lake within 1.7 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Yoke Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Yoke Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 4°F and July at about 64°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. That is the shape of the year on Yoke Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. If the gate is shut, Jupiter Lake at 0.7 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm before you fish Yoke Lake.