Fawn Lake Fishing in Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  This water sits in Itasca County, Minnesota. The country round it is pine and birch from end to end. The water covers some 187 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 2.9 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Size puts it in the front rank of our Itasca County list. Cohasset is the closest town at 11 miles. Further out sit Grand Rapids (14 miles) and Coleraine (15 miles). It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Fawn Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Itasca County include yellow perch, largemouth bass and northern pike. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Fish Fawn Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 5°F to 67°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Time your trip to Fawn Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping shows a campsite some 0.9 miles from the water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Poverty Lake at 0.8 miles is the nearest alternative. What applies at Fawn Lake may have changed since it was mapped.