Fishing Bend Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Bend Lake lies in Hubbard County, in Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,545 feet. Bemidji sits 20 miles from here and is the nearest stop. The nearest city of size is Fargo, 92 miles away. Other water nearby: Camp Lake a touch under 0.6 miles, Beaver Lake out at 1.4 miles, Gillett Lake a touch under 1.5 miles, Little Gulch Lakes out at 1.7 miles and Sheridan Lake a touch under 1.8 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Bend Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name walleye, northern pike and black crappie. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Bend Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 67°F, while January sits near 4°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid April. On average, mid April opens the water and mid November closes it again. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Anyone fishing Bend Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Camp Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Bend Lake.