Fishing at Ida Lake, Blue Earth County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Ida Lake is a Blue Earth County water, in Minnesota. It lies 1,030 feet above sea level. The water covers some 108 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 2.1 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. The nearest place of any size is Mapleton, 9.1 miles away. For a city, Rochester is 83 miles off. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Ida Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Open biodiversity records for Blue Earth County list common carp, bluegill, yellow perch and black bullhead. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. The shape of Ida Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 72°F and January about 13°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early April. Break-up sits around early April on average, with the water closing again about early December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Ida Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Reinke Slough sits 5 miles off and takes the overflow. Ask locally about Ida Lake if anything is unclear.