Mud Lake Fishing near Coleraine, Minnesota

• Overview

  Mud Lake is one of the Itasca County waters in Minnesota. The setting is pine and birch. The water covers some 54 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 1.2 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. For a base, Coleraine sits 6.9 miles out. The nearest city of size is Minneapolis, 162 miles away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Mud Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across Itasca County: yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Read Mud Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 5°F in January to roughly 67°F in July. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Mud Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. The car has to stay half a mile away, which shapes how much tackle you bring. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Upper Panaca Lake at 1.1 miles is the nearest alternative. For Mud Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.