Lily Lake in Itasca County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lily Lake sits within Itasca County in Minnesota. The setting is pine and birch on every side. Small at around 14 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for Itasca County are larger. Chisholm is the closest place, 28 miles off. It is 177 miles to Fargo, the nearest city. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lily Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Itasca County list yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Lily Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 5°F in January up to 66°F in July. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Lily Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Mirror Lake is 0.7 miles distant. The position on Lily Lake is worth confirming on the day.