Fishing at Little Sand Lake, Cass County, Minnesota

• Overview

  The Cass County entry here is Little Sand Lake, in Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,306 feet. Roughly 75 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The whole outline is near 1.6 miles, and most of it is walkable. Pequot Lakes at 14 miles is the nearest place to stop. For a city, Fargo is 113 miles off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Little Sand Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Species logged across Cass County include largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill, walleye and northern pike. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Little Sand Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 6°F to 68°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. On average, mid April opens the water and late November closes it again. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Little Sand Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Ding Pot Lake is 0.7 miles distant. For Little Sand Lake in particular, ask before you travel.