Fishing Graning Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Graning Lake sits in Beltrami County, out in Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,188 feet. With some 26 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Our Beltrami County list holds plenty of bigger water. 2.1 miles away sits Little Rock, the nearest town. It is 102 miles to Fargo, the nearest city. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Graning Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Species logged across Beltrami County include walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, largemouth bass and white sucker. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Graning Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 67°F and January about 4°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The open-water window runs from around late April to about late November in an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Graning Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Johnson Lake, 0.4 miles out. Signs at Graning Lake carry more weight than any list.