Fishing at Bass Lake, Hennepin County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Bass Lake falls in Hennepin County, part of Minnesota. Height above sea level is 896 feet. It runs to roughly 180 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline comes to about 2.1 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Size puts it in the front rank of our Hennepin County list. Maple Grove sits 1.6 miles from the bank. It is 9.9 miles to Minneapolis, the nearest city. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Bass Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Reported across Hennepin County: bluegill, common carp, largemouth bass and pumpkinseed. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. On Bass Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 72°F, while January sits near 12°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early April. In an average year the thaw lands around early April and the freeze near late November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Bass Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Schmidt Lake, 1 mile away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Bass Lake may have changed since it was mapped.