Little Gnat Lake Fishing in Beltrami County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Little Gnat Lake is a Beltrami County water, in Minnesota. Everything around it is pine and birch. Surface area is around 32 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. About 1.0 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. The town to know is Bemidji, 8.6 miles out. The nearest city of size is Fargo, 106 miles away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Little Gnat Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Beltrami County include walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, largemouth bass and white sucker. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On Little Gnat Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 67°F in July and bottoms out near 3°F in January. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. That shapes the year on Little Gnat Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. You can launch from a ramp around half a mile away. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Beltrami Lake sits 1.1 miles off and takes the overflow. What applies at Little Gnat Lake may have changed since it was mapped.