Hicks Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Minnesota holds Hicks Lake, in Pine County. Height above sea level is 1,171 feet. The water measures roughly 17 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. For supplies, Moose Lake is 11 miles out. Minneapolis sits 99 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end. Quiet on weekdays, busier when the weather turns fine.

• Where to Fish on Hicks Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Pine County, recorded fish include northern pike, bluegill, largemouth bass, black crappie and pumpkinseed. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Hicks Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 8°F and July at about 67°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That is the shape of the year on Hicks 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. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Failing this one, try Lake Margaret, 1.2 miles away. Where Hicks Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.