Public shore fishing spots in St. Louis County, Minnesota
DNR records list 25 public shore fishing spots in St. Louis County: 20 fishing piers and 5 shore or bank fishing sites. Check current access before visiting.
| Spot | Water | Maintained by | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Louis River Floodwood Campground Fishing Pier
Accessible |
Water: River or reservoir | Maintained by: City of Floodwood | Getting there: No directions published |
|
Bear Head Lake Fishing Pier
Accessible |
Water: Bear Head | Maintained by: DNR Division of Parks and Trails, Bear Head Lake State Park | Getting there: Located at the boat launch in Bear Head Lake SP. From Tower go E on U.S. Hwy 169 for 9 miles to Co. Hwy 138. Go S 7 miles to the park. |
| Birch Lake Resevoir Fishing Pier | Water: Birch | Maintained by: City of Babbitt | Getting there: From Babbitt, go E on Co Rd 70 which turns into 623 for 2 mi and take 1st left after Birch Lake Campground entrance. |
| Carey Fishing Pier | Water: Carey | Maintained by: City of Hibbing | Getting there: From Hibbing, go S on Hwy 169 to Co Rd 53 go E about 4 mi, pier on W shore. |
| Vermilion - Hoo Doo Fishing Pier | Water: East Vermilion | Maintained by: City of Tower | Getting there: On the W side of Tower, turn N on Cedar St, then turn left on N 3rd St. and go 1 mi. to Hoodoo Point Campground. The pier is located 1 block W of the beach. |
| Embarrass Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Embarrass | Maintained by: City of Biwabik | Getting there: In Biwabik's city park, about 1 mi W of the town center on Hwy 135. |
| Fall Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Fall | Maintained by: City of Winston | Getting there: City of Winton, NE of Ely on 169, to main street, to west shore. |
| Fenske Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Fenske | Maintained by: U.S. Forest Service | Getting there: 12 miles north of Ely, on MN Hwy 169 N, then 2 miles northwest on Co Rd 88 (Grant McMahon Blvd), then 7 miles north on Co Rd 116 (Echo Trail) parking available in the Fenske Lake Campground |
| Orebegone Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Gilbert Pit | Maintained by: City of Gilbert | Getting there: From Broadway Avenue in Gilbert, turn E on Minnesota Avenue, Follow MN Ave past campground to public beach. |
| Judson Pit Shore Fishing Site | Water: Judson Mine Pit | Maintained by: City of Buhl | Getting there: In Buhl, from Hwy 169 take the Forest Street exit, go N about 1 mi to “Old 169” and go W 1 mi to Judson Pit, on S side of street. |
| Little Long Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Little Long | Maintained by: U.S. Forest Service | Getting there: 5 mi. S of Ely on Co. Rd. 116 (Echo Trail). |
| Longyear Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Longyear | Maintained by: City of Chisholm | Getting there: In Chisholm, from Hwy 169 take the East exit into Chisholm, go to E Lake St & 4th Ave NE, continue N 3 blocks to pier on left. |
| Longyear Lake Shore Fishing Site | Water: Longyear | Maintained by: City of Chisholm | Getting there: In Chisholm, from Hwy 169 take the East exit into Chisholm, go to E Lake St & 4th Ave NE, continue north on 4th Ave NE one block to platform on left. |
| Miners Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Side | Maintained by: City of Ely | Getting there: In Ely, 401 N. Pioneer Road, West side of Miner's Pit |
|
Side Lake Fishing Pier
Not recorded as accessible |
Water: Side | Maintained by: DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Getting there: In the McCarthy Beach State Park campground. From Hibbing, go N on Hwy 169 to Co Rd 5, then N 15 mi to McCarthy Beach Road, turn left and go 1 mi to park entrance on right. |
| Silver Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Silver | Maintained by: City of Virginia | Getting there: In Virginia's city park, located 2 blocks away from other pier. |
| Silver Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Silver | Maintained by: City of Virginia | Getting there: In Virginia's city park, from Hwy 53, go E on 9th St, turn right, go S 4 blocks to park. |
| St. Louis River - Interstate Fishing Pier | Water: St. Louis River Estuary | Maintained by: City of Duluth | Getting there: In Duluth, on Garfield Ave, at E end of Rice's Point, directly below I-35 bridge. |
| Stubler Pit Shore Fishing Site | Water: Stubler Pit | Maintained by: City of Buhl | Getting there: In Buhl, from Hwy 169 take the Forest St exit, go N about 1 mi to “Old 169,” W 1 mi to Stubler Pit on N side of street. |
| Lake Superior Shore Fishing Site | Water: Superior | Maintained by: DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Getting there: East of Duluth, Scenic 61 and McQuade Road. On the breakwater. |
| Lake Superior, French River Wayside Shore Fishing Site | Water: Superior | Maintained by: DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife | Getting there: Park at the French River Wayside, 5350 N. Shore Dr. Duluth. Fishing only allowed in Lake Superior. Rugged terrain beyond wayside. |
|
Vermilion Lake, Armstrong Bay Fishing Pier
Not recorded as accessible |
Water: Vermilion | Maintained by: DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Getting there: In Lake Vermilion Sudan Underground Mine State Park |
| Virginia (Bailey) Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Virginia | Maintained by: City of Virginia | Getting there: In Virginia northeast corner off of N State Hwy 135, behing the Laurentian Manor Apartments |
| West Two Rivers Fishing Pier | Water: West Two Rivers Reservoir | Maintained by: City of Mountain Iron | Getting there: In Mountain Iron, West Two Rivers Campground, Campground Road. Pier is short walk from picnic area/beach parking area. |
| Whitewater Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Whitewater | Maintained by: City of Hoyt Lakes | Getting there: SW of the town of Hoyt Lake, take Hwy 110 to Fisherman's Point, pier on Kumpula Point. |
What to bring
Every spot above is bank fishing, which is what this site is about. The Shore Setup Selector asks four questions about the water in front of you and returns one rig, and the one setup to start with covers what to buy first. If the spot is a pier over deeper water, when to add a bullet weight is the one to read before you go.
Before you drive
DNR lists these public fishing sites; the managing organization is shown in each row. A map pin identifies a recorded site, not a guarantee of current access or a report that bass are there. Check with the manager before traveling.
A spot marked "Not recorded as accessible" has a false ADA-accessibility flag in DNR's data. A spot with no note has an unspecified flag; that does not tell us whether anyone assessed accessibility. Confirm current facilities with the manager.
Lake and access data on this page comes from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Public Fishing Sites in Minnesota. MN DNR contributed the data and does not endorse this site. We publish it under DNR's general data licence, which requires this credit and forbids reselling the data, so there is no download here. Check the DNR record before you drive: access, fees, and regulations change, and DNR's copy is the current one.