Baldy Lake Fishing near Coleraine, Minnesota

• Overview

  The Itasca County end of Minnesota holds Baldy Lake. The water sits 1,388 feet up. Surface area runs to about 24 acres — small enough to read in one session. The closest town, Coleraine, is 19 miles away. Fargo sits 157 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Close by you have: Dock Lake 0.3 miles away, Hill Lake 0.4 miles, East Smith Lake 0.7 miles away, South Smith Lake 0.7 miles and Big Jack Lake 1 mile away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Baldy Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Across Itasca County, recorded fish include yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and black crappie. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Baldy Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 67°F; by January the average is down near 4°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about late November in a typical year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Plan any trip to Baldy Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Dock Lake, 0.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Baldy Lake may have changed since it was mapped.