Buck Lake in Itasca County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Out in Itasca County, Minnesota, sits Buck Lake. Everything around it is lake country bush. It runs to roughly 79 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The bank runs about 1.4 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. For a base, Coleraine sits 21 miles out. Keewatin is 22 miles away, with Cohasset at 25 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Buck Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Itasca County: yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and black crappie. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The shape of Buck Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 66°F at the top of summer and 4°F at the bottom of winter. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Buck Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Birch Lake, 0.8 miles away. The position on Buck Lake is worth confirming on the day.