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1,530-acre lake near St. Louis County. The lake tops out around 64 ft. The contours come from a model of the real basin shape and its known max depth. Read them as probabilities, not soundings, and keep them out of navigation decisions. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Drawn out, this is 1,539 acres of water rimmed by 32.7 miles of bank, with 11 islands in the mix. With a shoreline index of 6, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 67% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. Tip to tip the water measures near 2.8 mi with a 2.8-mi widest point. You'll find it in St. Louis County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Rush, 2 mi southwest of here.
When the water first warms, lake whitefish slide up into 15 to 45 ft. Summer is a 19 to 64 ft game here, winter a 19 to 64 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 54 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon rigged through the warm months.
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 | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (29 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 19 to 64 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Deep basin (54 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Break off the point (29 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 19 to 64 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (54 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
When the water first warms, cisco (lake herring) slide up into 10 to 40 ft. Summer is a 19 to 64 ft game here, winter a 20 to 60 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 54 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic rigged through the warm months.
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 | Break off the point (29 ft) | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 19 to 64 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 80 ft | dawn | Deep basin (54 ft) | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (29 ft) | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Deep basin (54 ft) | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Early season walleye use the shallows, holding in 4 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 15 to 35 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 40 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 29 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (16 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (29 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (29 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (29 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
When the water first warms, sauger slide up into 4 to 18 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 29 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a bottom bouncer + crawler or a 3-way rig with stickbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | 3/8 oz jig + ringworm, Hair jig + minnow |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (29 ft) | Bottom bouncer + crawler, 3-way rig with stickbait |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (29 ft) | Jig + big minnow, Blade bait |
| Winter | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Break off the point (29 ft) | Heavy jigging spoon, Jig + minnow (vertical) |
Spring yellow perch on Iron hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm.
| 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 | Break off the point (29 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (29 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (29 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring puts northern pike in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 15 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Iron also holds smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 54 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 Iron specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Minnesota fishing regulations →
Iron is about 64 ft (20 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 whitefish, cisco (lake herring), walleye, sauger, yellow perch, northern pike, smallmouth bass, rock bass, crappie on Iron.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 54 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in summer. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For lake whitefish, 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 Iron 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.
Rush 2 mi · Little Roland Lake 3 mi, ON · Dahlin Lake 3 mi, ON · Middle Roland Lake 4 mi, ON · McAree Lake 4 mi, ON · Pulling Lake 4 mi, ON · Stuart 4 mi · Brewer Lake 5 mi, ON · Agnes 5 mi · Pond Lake 5 mi, ON · Kelsey 6 mi · Toe 6 mi
See how Iron stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best walleye lakes in Minnesota · best sauger lakes in Minnesota · best northern pike lakes in Minnesota
More water nearby: St. Louis County fishing maps (429 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.