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509-acre lake near Cook County. The lake tops out around 90 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. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Daniels maps at 509 acres behind 7.3 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 2.3, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Roughly 53% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 2.7 mi end to end and 0.7 mi across at its widest. It sits in Cook County. If the bite dies, Bearskin is 1 mi to the southwest.
Come spring, look for lake trout tight to the bank in 10 to 40 ft. Expect a summer slide to 27 to 90 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 80 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 77 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in early morning. A white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger is the honest summer answer here.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 27 to 90 ft chart-limited; documented 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Deep basin (77 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Deep basin (77 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| 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) |
Come spring, look for smallmouth bass tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 23 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (23 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | open water | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Come spring, look for burbot tight to the bank in 25 to 70 ft. Expect a summer slide to 27 to 90 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 60 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 77 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in after dark and midday. A heavy jig + cut bait is the honest summer answer here.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 70 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (77 ft) | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 27 to 90 ft chart-limited; documented 50 to 120 ft | night & midday | Deep basin (77 ft) | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 30 to 80 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (77 ft) | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (77 ft) | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
5 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 77 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Minnesota waters are set by the Minnesota DNR — and special regulations can apply to Daniels specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Minnesota fishing regulations →
Daniels is about 90 ft (27 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, smallmouth bass, burbot on Daniels.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 77 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
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 Daniels 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.
Bearskin 1 mi · Wampus 2 mi · Hungry Jack 2 mi · Rose Lake 2 mi, ON · Flour 2 mi · Rudy 3 mi · Rove 3 mi · Duncan 3 mi · Aspen 3 mi · Ruby 3 mi · East Bearskin 3 mi · Moss 3 mi
See how Daniels stacks up: best smallmouth bass 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.