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164-acre lake near Cook County. The lake tops out around 125 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
The drawn water covers 164 acres wrapped in 3.8 miles of bank. A middling shoreline index (2.1) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. Roughly 36% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 1.1 mi with a 0.5-mi widest point. Cook County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Peter, is 1 mi to the south.
Early season lake trout use the shallows, holding in 10 to 40 ft. Summer is a 50 to 120 ft game here, winter a 20 to 80 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 106 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (31 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Deep basin (106 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (31 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Deep basin (106 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Spring northern pike on Howard hold shallow, usually 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. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage.
| 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 |
Early season burbot use the shallows, holding in 25 to 70 ft. Summer is a 50 to 120 ft game here, winter a 15 to 60 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 106 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is after dark and midday. Tie on a heavy jig + cut bait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 70 ft | night & dusk | open water | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | night & midday | Deep basin (106 ft) | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 30 to 80 ft | night & dusk | open water | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | open water | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
Howard carries 5 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 106 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Minnesota waters are set by the Minnesota DNR — and special regulations can apply to Howard specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Minnesota fishing regulations →
Howard is about 125 ft (38 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, northern pike, burbot on Howard.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 106 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in summer. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every 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 Howard 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.
Peter 1 mi · West Fern 1 mi · Powell 2 mi · Rattle 2 mi · French 2 mi · Gabimichigami 2 mi · Fern 2 mi · Rog 3 mi · Jasper 3 mi · Elm 3 mi · Ecstasy 3 mi · Paco 3 mi
See how Howard stacks up: best northern pike 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.