Greeley Lake in Itasca County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Greeley Lake in the Itasca County part of Minnesota. It lies 1,342 feet above sea level. Small at around 23 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Head to Cohasset, 31 miles away, for anything you forgot. It is 135 miles to Fargo, the nearest city. Not far off: Lake Roosevelt sits 0.6 miles out, Biauswah Lake 1 mile off, Sunken Lake sits 1.4 miles out, Mosomo Lake 1.6 miles off and Simpson Lake sits 1.6 miles out. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Greeley Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Itasca County list yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and black crappie. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. The shape of Greeley Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 67°F and January at 4°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Greeley Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Lake Roosevelt is 0.6 miles off. Check the current arrangement for Greeley Lake.