Blacksmith Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Out in Cass County, Minnesota, sits Blacksmith Lake. Everything around it is mixed forest. The water measures roughly 8 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. It is a small entry by Cass County standards. Cohasset is the closest place, 26 miles off. Grand Rapids is 30 miles away, with Coleraine at 34 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Blacksmith Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. 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. Survey and observation records for Cass County include largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill and walleye. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Blacksmith Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 67°F; by January the average is down near 5°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Time your trip to Blacksmith Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Sixmile Lake, 1 mile away. Treat access at Blacksmith Lake as something to verify.