Coffee Lake in Crow Wing County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Coffee Lake lies in Crow Wing County, in Minnesota. Elevation runs to 1,247 feet. The water measures roughly 19 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Most waters listed here for Crow Wing County are larger. For supplies, Crosby is 8.8 miles out. Then Aitkin, 11 miles, and Vineland, 16 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Coffee Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Crow Wing County records list largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, northern pike and pumpkinseed among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The near bank of Coffee Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 69°F and January near 7°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. From about mid April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. It holds true on Coffee Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Tame Fish Lake, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Coffee Lake are worth checking on the day.