I am staying in Tofte this May and doing plenty of fishing on Superior and the rivers, and on the Gunflint Trail, but I am going to have some young kids along and I know they will want to take thier little kid combos out and catch some panfish. I did alot of research and the area seems to be devoid of good Bluegill and Crappie spots, but then I found Dyer's Lake. DNR surveys seem promising and it's very close and easy to access. I wonder if they can be caught from shore though, or would I need a boat? I can see on the lake map that the little dock there does not even reach the 5 ft mark. Any others tips for panfishing in the area would be greatly appreciated too. Thanks...

I have fished Dyer's lake multiple times, but never in May. In August we have caught crappies and bluegill right off the dock. We used to have good luck casting for pike as well, from shore, just wading the shoreline to the East of the boat launch and casting. But again, this was August and not May. Things might be much better in May, or maybe completely different. Be sure to report back how you do, and good luck.

Its a good panfish lake, and yes it does help to have a boat. You can still catch some in May from the dock however.

We were there May 15th and there were no signs of life within casting range from the dock to the creek. The panfish seemed to still be in a winter pattern suspended in deeper water. Plenty of areas that look like they would hold fish once they come in though. We caught plenty of fish on our trip though. We got walleyes and Pike on the St. Louis River. Steelhead at the mouth of the Lester, in the Cascade river and in the Baptism River, Lake Trout at the mouth of the Cascade, and Splake and Pike at the mouth of the Temperance. Who would have guessed that Sunfish would be the only fish I couldn't catch.

The weather has everything behind, can't believe how cold the water still is everywhere.