Hennessey Lake Fishing in Aitkin County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Hennessey Lake is an Aitkin County water, in Minnesota. The surface lies 1,325 feet up. Surface area is around 26 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. For a base, Grand Rapids sits 12 miles out. Cohasset follows at 13 miles, then Coleraine at 17 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Hennessey Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Reported across Aitkin County: northern pike, bluegill, yellow perch, black crappie and largemouth bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Hennessey Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 67°F in July and bottom out at 5°F in January. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. That shapes the year on Hennessey Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Mountain Ash Lake, 1.2 miles away. Confirm before you fish Hennessey Lake.