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842-acre lake near Cook County. The lake tops out around 142 ft. This chart interpolates between a real shoreline and a known maximum depth. It will point you at likely water, but it is not a navigation product. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
The outline encloses 847 acres, worked by 17.3 miles of shoreline, with 7 islands in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 4.2) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. 32% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 2.9 mi, about 1.1 mi across. Cook County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, North Temperance, is 1 mi to the southeast.
When the water first warms, lake trout slide up into 10 to 40 ft. Summer is a 50 to 120 ft game here, winter a 20 to 80 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 121 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (36 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Deep basin (121 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (36 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Break off the point (64 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: yellow perch in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 30 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | open water | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
When the water first warms, northern pike slide up into 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, burbot slide up into 25 to 70 ft. Summer is a 50 to 120 ft game here, winter a 15 to 60 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 121 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run after dark and midday. Keep a heavy jig + cut bait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 70 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (64 ft) | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | night & midday | Deep basin (121 ft) | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 30 to 80 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (64 ft) | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (64 ft) | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
The chart marks 6 structure features on Cherokee; the deepest is Deep basin at about 121 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Minnesota waters are set by the Minnesota DNR — and special regulations can apply to Cherokee specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Minnesota fishing regulations →
Cherokee is about 142 ft (43 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target lake trout, yellow perch, northern pike, burbot on Cherokee.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For lake trout, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Cherokee is regulated by the Minnesota DNR. Check the official Minnesota regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
North Temperance 1 mi · Gordon 2 mi · Cam 2 mi · Frost 2 mi · South Temperance 2 mi · Wench 2 mi · Clam 3 mi · Cash 3 mi · Ada 3 mi · Weird 3 mi · Long Island 4 mi · Karl 4 mi
See how Cherokee stacks up: best northern pike lakes in Minnesota · best yellow perch lakes in Minnesota · best lake trout lakes in Minnesota · best burbot lakes in Minnesota
More water nearby: Cook County fishing maps (351 charts). Browse all Minnesota fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.