Fishing Haskell Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  This water sits in Itasca County, Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,332 feet. The water covers some 95 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Bank access stretches around 1.8 miles in total. The town to know is Coleraine, 15 miles out. The big place round here is Fargo, 163 miles distant. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Haskell Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Itasca County include yellow perch, largemouth bass and northern pike. The county list is broader than any single water. Take Haskell Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 67°F and January reads 5°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. It sets the rhythm of the year at Haskell Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Failing this one, try Scrapper Lake, 0.6 miles away. Nothing here settles the position at Haskell Lake for certain.