Lost Girl Lake in Cass County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Cass County end of Minnesota holds Lost Girl Lake. The surface lies 1,332 feet up. Surface area runs to about 23 acres — small enough to read in one session. Crosslake sits 24 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Fargo sits 128 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Nearest other option: Phelon Lake some 1 mile off, Lower Trelipe Lake about 1.6 miles, Twin Lakes some 1.9 miles off, Wax Lake about 2.2 miles and Johnson Lake some 2.5 miles off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lost Girl Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Cass County records list largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill and walleye among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Take Lost Girl Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 67°F and January reads 6°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. 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. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Lost Girl Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Phelon Lake sits 1 mile off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Lost Girl Lake as something to verify.