Rat Lake in Todd County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Todd County, Minnesota, this is Rat Lake. It sits at 1,266 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 17 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Our Todd County list holds plenty of bigger water. The nearest place of any size is Staples, 8.8 miles away. After that come Long Prairie at 19 miles and East Gull Lake at 22 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Rat Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish documented in Todd County include largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie and northern pike. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. On Rat Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 8°F and July at about 69°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan any trip to Rat Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Fawn Lake at 1.1 miles is the nearest alternative. What applies at Rat Lake may have changed since it was mapped.