Kimball Lake near Bemidji: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Kimball Lake stands in Hubbard County, Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,398 feet. The water covers some 52 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Bemidji lies 14 miles from the water. Park Rapids is 26 miles away, with Bagley at 29 miles. Alternatives close at hand: Kenny Lake some 0.7 miles off, Dehart Lake 1.3 miles away, Marsh Lake some 2.7 miles off, Hatchers Lake 2.9 miles away and Brokaw Lake some 3 miles off. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Kimball Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Hubbard County list walleye, northern pike, black crappie and bluegill. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The shape of Kimball Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 67°F on average, January about 4°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near mid November in autumn. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Plan any trip to Kimball Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Kenny Lake at 0.7 miles is the sensible second choice. Where Kimball Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.