Pelican Lake near Orr Minnesota is one of the most diverse, as far as fish species are concerned, bodies of water in the Midwest. We’ve been to this island studded body of water several times in past years, and caught panfish, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and northern pike, and we caught quality and quantity of all these species. After missing a couple of seasons of visiting Pelican Lake, we decided it was time to return this summer to see if things had changed. They hadn’t. Pelican Lake still provides lots of fishing action for the entire family

Pelican Lake is right on Highway 53 just a short two hours from Duluth Minnesota. Highway 53 provides easy travel to Orr. As you enter Orr you’ll see the giant bluegill statue that proclaims Pelican Lake to be the “Bluegill Capital of the World”. Bluegills are indeed abundant on Pelican Lake, and we’ve spent several hours catching them and crappies off deep structure in the summer, but on our most recent trip we were after bass and pike. And we caught’em, we caught’em good.

If you’re looking for a place to go to teach someone the thrill of catching fish on an artificial bait, Pelican Lake is the place to go. Pelican Lake has a slot limit on northern pike: Any pike between twenty four and thirty two inches must be returned to the water. If you tie on a Reed-Runner spinnerbait and cast it around the cabbage weeds that are so abundant on this fish-filled body of water, you’re going to get bit. It’s going to happen, no doubt about it, you’re going to catch pike consistently. They might not be the biggest pike you’ll ever catch, but there will be plenty in the slot, many smaller ones that are great to eat, and chances are you’ll tangle with an eight or ten pounder. You’ll wear out a bunch of spinnerbaits on Pelican’s pike. If you or someone you know just wants to get bit frequently by hard-fighting fish, Pelican Lake is the place for you.

Now about the bass. Pelican Lake has lots of different types of bass-holding areas. Underwater rock humps hold smallmouth in the summer and fall, rocky shorelines will see bass use after the spawn, and there are massive cabbage weed beds that are home to largemouth and pike after the spawn: In short, you’re going to have to take the time of year into account and establish a pattern.

One method that is almost always productive employs a four inch Power Grub on a Northland Mimic Minnow head. This combo has put many, many bass in the boat for us in the past few years. It can be cast to shallow or deep rock humps, fished in a lift-drop manner over cabbage weeds, or retrieved along the areas where rock changes to sand. Most of the time a straight, slow retrieve is the best. Over deep rocks, let it sink a couple of seconds, then start reeling. Don’t put a lot of rod action into the retrieve. Point your rod tip at about the ten o’clock position and just reel slowly. You’ll generally just feel a tick when a fish hits.

One last idea. Schedule a visit to Pelican Lake anywhere from mid-summer to mid-autumn and check out the panfish action. Cruise the deeper flats with a close eye on your depthfinder. You’ll see large clouds of panfish every now and then. When you locate a school, simply hover directly overhead. Drop a 1/32nd ounce Fire-Fly Jig tipped with a Gulp! Fish Fry or some other piece of tiny Gulp! Usually the bait won’t reach the bottom. Crimp a small splitshot onto your line about a foot above the jig to get it into the fish zone faster. Keep this technique in mind if you get a desire for a fresh fish supper.

It would be great if every body of water offered the options Pelican Lake does. Several species of gamefish that are willing to bite most of the time, a wilderness atmosphere, and several nice resorts for lodging make Pelican Lake a prime fishing location that you should consider for your next fishing trip.