Raddison Lake Fishing Guide, Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Raddison Lake is set in Itasca County, Minnesota. The water sits 1,398 feet up. It runs to roughly 201 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The margin runs to about 3.3 miles in total. Few waters listed in Itasca County are bigger. Keewatin at 26 miles is the nearest place to stop. Chisholm follows at 28 miles, then Coleraine at 29 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Raddison Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Itasca County include yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and black crappie. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Take Raddison Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 4°F in January to roughly 66°F in July. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. On average, late April opens the water and mid November closes it again. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Raddison Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Beaver Lake sits 0.5 miles off and takes the overflow. Where Raddison Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.