Fishing Mystery Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Mystery Lake is set in Itasca County, Minnesota. Elevation runs to 1,404 feet. It covers about 18 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Our Itasca County list holds plenty of bigger water. Cohasset is the closest place, 16 miles off. Coleraine is 17 miles away, with Grand Rapids at 19 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Mystery Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Itasca County list yellow perch, largemouth bass and northern pike. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Treat Mystery Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 67°F and January near 4°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. The season between ice runs from about mid April to late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Mystery Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Shelly Lake, 0.6 miles away. The position on Mystery Lake is worth confirming on the day.