First Lake Fishing near Little Rock, Minnesota

• Overview

  You will find First Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota. The surface lies 1,178 feet up. Small at around 13 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. On size it sits at the modest end of our Clearwater County list. 12 miles away sits Little Rock, the nearest town. Beyond it, Red Lake at 17 miles and Bagley at 21 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on First Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Open biodiversity records for Clearwater County list bluegill, northern pike and largemouth bass. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On First Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 3°F in January to roughly 67°F in July. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. The season between ice runs from about mid April to mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Plan any trip to First Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Second Lake is 0.6 miles off. Treat access at First Lake as something to verify.