Middle LaSalle Lake in Clearwater County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Clearwater County in Minnesota is where Middle LaSalle Lake sits. The country here is lake country bush. This is a pocket water of some 17 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Bemidji is the closest place, 17 miles off. For a city, Fargo is 83 miles off. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Middle LaSalle Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Clearwater County include bluegill, northern pike, largemouth bass and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Fish Middle LaSalle Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 67°F for July and 4°F for January. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about mid November in a typical year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Anyone fishing Middle LaSalle Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Big LaSalle Lake, 1.4 miles away. Nothing here settles the position at Middle LaSalle Lake for certain.