Lawrence Lake Fishing near Coleraine, Minnesota

• Overview

  Lawrence Lake lies in Itasca County, in Minnesota. The surface lies 1,293 feet up. It measures some 429 acres, and wind has room to build across it. Around 5.5 miles of bank, which is a long day on foot. Few waters listed in Itasca County are bigger. The nearest place of any size is Coleraine, 11 miles away. Keewatin lies 14 miles off, Grand Rapids another 16 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lawrence Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Itasca County list yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. At Lawrence Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 5°F and July at about 66°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan any trip to Lawrence Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Rose Lake sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. Rules at Lawrence Lake are worth checking on the day.