Bands of rain crossing through the day, with just enough ESE wind to ripple the surface and a falling glass. Give the first drop-off and weed lines the first hour at Bills Lake. Quiet conditions all day, with the night marginally better. Save the long walk for a better forecast. The pre-winter feed makes autumn days generous.
The bites are poor now
Night
Morning
Bills Lake is set in Itasca County, Minnesota. The ground around here is mixed forest. Start from Cohasset, 21 miles down the road. Coleraine is 22 miles away, with Grand Rapids at 23 miles. Near neighbours include: North Star Lake within 0.3 miles, 1.2 miles out stands English Lake, Hole-in-Wall Lake within 1.3 miles, 1.4 miles out stands Little North Star Lake and Little Smith Lake within 1.4 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.
No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. 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. Records held for Itasca County cover yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and black crappie. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Anyone new to Bills Lake should walk it once before setting up.
The seasonal spread runs 4°F to 66°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Bills Lake fishes to that pattern most years.
The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. A boat ramp sits about half a mile from the water. Facilities run to toilets half a mile from the water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, North Star Lake is 0.3 miles distant. The position on Bills Lake is worth confirming on the day.
31%
The bites are poor now
| 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 5 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 6.8 | 6.6 | 6.2 | 6.9 | 7 | 8.1 | 8.8 | 7.9 | 8.6 | 9.3 | 10.1 | 10.3 | 8.2 | 8.8 | 8.1 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 8.5 | 7.8 | 7 |
| 55° | 55° | 54° | 55° | 55° | 55° | 55° | 54° | 54° | 54° | 54° | 54° | 54° | 54° | 54° | 55° | 55° | 55° | 55° | 56° | 57° | 58° | 58° | 59° |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 30.03 | 30 | 29.98 | 29.95 | 29.93 | 29.91 | 29.88 | 29.87 | 29.85 | 29.83 | 29.79 | 29.76 | 29.71 | 29.67 | 29.64 | 29.63 | 29.62 | 29.58 | 29.56 | 29.54 | 29.54 | 29.54 | 29.53 | 29.52 |
| 89 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 89 | 89 | 91 | 93 | 92 | 92 | 91 | 92 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 89 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 88 | 88 |
Sam
AI Fishing Assistant for Bills Lake
Afternoon
Evening
Best bite time
Best bite time
Best bite time
Best bite time
Best bite time
Best bite time
Best bite time
