Black Island Lake in Itasca County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Itasca County, Minnesota, you have Black Island Lake. The surroundings are rolling bush. With some 112 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Roughly 2.1 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. The closest town, Coleraine, is 17 miles distant. Cohasset lies 19 miles off, Grand Rapids another 20 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Black Island Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Itasca County include yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and black crappie. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Anyone new to Black Island Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 67°F on average, January about 4°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near late November in autumn. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan around that when you fish Black Island Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Duck Lake is 0.4 miles off. Check the position on Black Island Lake before loading the car.