Fishing Colombo Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Colombo Lake falls inside Beltrami County. Height above sea level is 1,214 feet. At 17 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Beltrami County list. The town to know is Red Lake, 2.4 miles out. Fargo is the closest city, 109 miles away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Colombo Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Public occurrence data for Beltrami County names walleye, yellow perch, northern pike and largemouth bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Treat Colombo Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 67°F and January near 4°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. On average, late April opens the water and late November closes it again. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Colombo Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. There is a mapped landing stage half a mile away. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Lake Emerald at 0.5 miles is the nearest alternative. What applies at Colombo Lake may have changed since it was mapped.