Fishing Forsythe Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Forsythe Lake lies in Itasca County, Minnesota. The setting is lake country bush on every side. The water covers some 64 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. There is roughly 1.2 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. The town to know is Cohasset, 1 mile out. For a city, Fargo is 152 miles off. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Forsythe Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Fish documented in Itasca County include yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Forsythe Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 5°F in January up to 67°F in July. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near late November in autumn. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Forsythe Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Stevens Lake at 1.2 miles is the sensible second choice. Where Forsythe Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.