Fishing at Bear Lake, Cass County, Minnesota

• Overview

  You will find Bear Lake in Cass County, Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,335 feet. This is a pocket water of some 4 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is a small entry by Cass County standards. You are 14 miles from Crosslake. Minneapolis sits 132 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Bear Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Cass County, recorded fish include largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill and walleye. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Bear Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 68°F on average, January about 6°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. Open water usually runs from mid April until about late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. The season on Bear Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Snake Lake sits 1.1 miles off and takes the overflow. For Bear Lake in particular, ask before you travel.