Fishing at Loon Lake, Beltrami County, Minnesota

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Loon Lake falls inside Beltrami County. The bank is 1,368 feet above sea level. It measures about 135 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The edge runs 2.5 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. You are 16 miles from Redby. Fargo is the closest city, 114 miles away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Loon Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Beltrami County, recorded fish include walleye, yellow perch, northern pike and largemouth bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Loon Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 67°F on average, January about 3°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. The season on Loon Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Gull Lake sits 2.4 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Loon Lake in what we hold.