Medicine Lake Fishing in Beltrami County, Minnesota

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Medicine Lake falls inside Beltrami County. The bank is 1,329 feet above sea level. At some 458 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. At about 4.2 miles of edge, most people work one arm at a time. On our Beltrami County list it sits near the top for size. The nearest place of any size is Redby, 13 miles away. Beyond it, Red Lake at 17 miles and Bemidji at 19 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Medicine Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name walleye, yellow perch and northern pike. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. The near bank of Medicine Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 3°F in January and 67°F in July. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near mid November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Expect Medicine Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Rice Lake is 1.4 miles distant. For Medicine Lake in particular, ask before you travel.