Little Ox Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Little Ox Lake belongs to Crow Wing County. The ground round it is pine and birch. It runs to roughly 29 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 1.2 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Crosslake lies 4.5 miles from the water. Breezy Point is 11 miles away, with Pequot Lakes at 12 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Little Ox Lake

  The deepest measured water here is close to 69 feet. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch and northern pike. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Little Ox Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 69°F and January at 7°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. The season on Little Ox Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. The nearest alternative is Four Acre Lake, 0.2 miles out. Nothing here settles the position at Little Ox Lake for certain.