Hale Lake Fishing near Grand Rapids, Minnesota

• Overview

  Set in Itasca County, Hale Lake is a Minnesota water. The country round it is lake country bush from end to end. Roughly 126 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Shoreline comes to about 2.8 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Grand Rapids lies 1 mile from the water. It is 155 miles to Fargo, the nearest city. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Hale Lake

  Surveys put the deepest water at about 65 feet. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Across Itasca County, recorded fish include yellow perch, largemouth bass and northern pike. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The near bank of Hale Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 68°F, while January sits near 5°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and late November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. The season on Hale Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is a car park half a mile from the bank. Public data records a pier about 0.9 miles out. There is a fishing place at Ben's Bait, some half a mile away. There are toilets half a mile off. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Forest Lake is 0.5 miles distant. Check the current arrangement for Hale Lake.