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

• Overview

  Mikes Lake is an Itasca County water, Minnesota side. It sits at 1,335 feet above sea level. At 9 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is a small entry by Itasca County standards. The closest town, Coleraine, is 23 miles away. Cohasset lies 24 miles off, Grand Rapids another 26 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Mikes Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Itasca County, recorded fish include yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and black crappie. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Mikes Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 66°F, while January sits near 4°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. Break-up sits around mid April on average, with the water closing again about late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Mikes Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. You can launch: the ramp is half a mile away. A camping area sits within half a mile of here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Copenhagen Lake sits 0.5 miles off and takes the overflow. Check the current arrangement for Mikes Lake.