Fishing at Little Rice Lake, Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Little Rice Lake is one of the Itasca County listings for Minnesota. The setting is rolling bush. With some 140 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. About 2.0 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. The closest town, Cohasset, is 4.4 miles away. The nearest city of size is Fargo, 147 miles away. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Little Rice Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Itasca County records list yellow perch, largemouth bass and northern pike among the fish reported. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. On Little Rice Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 5°F and July at about 67°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Little Rice Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Guile Lake at 1.3 miles is the sensible second choice. For Little Rice Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.