Plum Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Plum Lake falls inside Itasca County. The bank gives way to lake country bush. It covers about 9 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Our Itasca County list holds plenty of bigger water. The town to know is Cohasset, 21 miles out. Beyond it, Coleraine at 22 miles and Grand Rapids at 23 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Plum 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. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Itasca County list yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and black crappie. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Plum Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 67°F at the top of summer and 4°F at the bottom of winter. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near late November in autumn. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. At Plum Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Pear Lake sits 0.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Where Plum Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.