Little Rice Lake near Virginia: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Within Saint Louis County, Minnesota, you have Little Rice Lake. Land around it is pine and birch. It runs to roughly 180 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. A shoreline of some 2.2 miles keeps the choices simple. Nearest place of any size is Virginia, 14 miles away. After that come Parkville at 14 miles and Mountain Iron at 15 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Little Rice Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Species logged across Saint Louis County include yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Little Rice Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 65°F for July and 3°F for January. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Climate figures give an open season running late April to mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. It holds true on Little Rice Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. If the gate is shut, Big Rice Lake at 2.6 miles is the nearest alternative. Signs at Little Rice Lake carry more weight than any list.