Aspinwall Lake Fishing Guide, Mahnomen County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Aspinwall Lake is a Mahnomen County water, in Minnesota. The water sits 1,250 feet up. Roughly 376 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. With 4.0 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Few waters listed in Mahnomen County are bigger. Start from Mahnomen, 8.3 miles down the road. Fosston follows at 14 miles, then Bagley at 22 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Aspinwall Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Species logged across Mahnomen County include rainbow trout, white sucker and northern pike. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Aspinwall Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 68°F on average, January about 4°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Aspinwall Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Chief Lake sits 0.9 miles off and takes the overflow. The position on Aspinwall Lake is worth confirming on the day.