Fishing New Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  In Minnesota, New Lake falls inside Itasca County. What surrounds it is pine and birch. Roughly 72 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The edge runs 1.7 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Coleraine sits 14 miles from the bank. It is 153 miles to Minneapolis, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on New Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. County-wide records name yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill. The county list is broader than any single water. New Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 66°F; the cold one sits at 5°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It holds true on New Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Cropless Lake is 2.4 miles off. Ask locally about New Lake if anything is unclear.