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121-acre lake near Cook County. The lake tops out around 70 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 outline encloses 121 acres, worked by 4.8 miles of shoreline, broken up by an island. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 3.1) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 59% of this chart, as modeled. Figure 1.2 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.5 mi at the beam. It sits in Cook County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Long Island, is 1 mi to the southeast.
Spring northern pike on Karl hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 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 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. Even in summer they hold at 21 to 70 ft; winter keeps them in 15 to 60 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 60 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and midday. Tie on a heavy jig + cut bait and you're in the game.
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 (60 ft) | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 21 to 70 ft chart-limited; documented 50 to 120 ft | night & midday | Deep basin (60 ft) | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 21 to 70 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 80 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (60 ft) | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (60 ft) | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
6 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 60 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 Karl specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Minnesota fishing regulations →
Karl is about 70 ft (21 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 northern pike, burbot on Karl.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For northern pike, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Karl 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.
Long Island 1 mi · Gordon 2 mi · Dawkins 2 mi · Cash 3 mi · Frost 3 mi · East Dawkins 3 mi · Copper 3 mi · Extortion 3 mi · Trip 4 mi · Davis 4 mi · Ham 4 mi · Cam 4 mi
See how Karl stacks up: best northern pike 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.