Both Pike Bay and Cass Lake are known for being one of the best fishing places in Minnesota. Walleye, northern pike, and perch populations are most notable.
Pike Bay is named not for its pike population, but rather for commander Zebulon Montgomery Pike who took the region at the behest of the U.S. War Department in 1806. Cass Lake, once named Red Cedar Lake, is similarly named after General Cass.