Fishing at Burns Eighty Lake, Mahnomen County, Minnesota

• Overview

  The Mahnomen County entry here is Burns Eighty Lake, in Minnesota. The surface lies 1,325 feet up. It runs to roughly 35 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 1.3 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. The closest town, Mahnomen, is 8.2 miles distant. Further out sit Fosston (23 miles) and Bagley (28 miles). No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Burns Eighty Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Mahnomen County records list rainbow trout, white sucker, northern pike and bluegill among the fish reported. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Burns Eighty Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 68°F and January near 4°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. On Burns Eighty Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Fish Lake sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. What applies at Burns Eighty Lake may have changed since it was mapped.