Lorraine Lake in Itasca County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lorraine Lake is set in Itasca County, Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,332 feet. At 11 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Most waters listed here for Itasca County are larger. You are 33 miles from Chisholm. Keewatin follows at 33 miles, then Hibbing at 35 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Lorraine Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Survey and observation records for Itasca County include yellow perch, largemouth bass and northern pike. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Read Lorraine Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 5°F to 66°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. The open-water window runs from around late April to about mid November in an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Lorraine Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Ryan Lake, 0.3 miles out. Confirm access to Lorraine Lake locally before you travel.