Fishing Davis Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Davis Lake belongs to Aitkin County, Minnesota. The bank is 1,224 feet above sea level. The water covers some 78 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Aitkin sits 18 miles from the bank. Minneapolis sits 115 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Davis Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across Aitkin County, recorded fish include northern pike, bluegill, yellow perch and black crappie. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Davis Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 68°F; by January the average is down near 6°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan around that when you fish Davis Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. A parking area is marked roughly half a mile out. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Steamboat Lake, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at Davis Lake as something to verify.