Rice Lake Fishing near Maple Grove, Minnesota

• Overview

  Look for Rice Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota. The country here is rolling bush. Surface area runs to roughly 351 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. Some 3.9 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. It is among the larger waters listed here for Hennepin County. 3 miles away sits Maple Grove, the nearest town. It is 14 miles to Minneapolis, the nearest city. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. 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. Fish documented in Hennepin County include bluegill, common carp and largemouth bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The near bank of Rice Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 72°F at the top of summer and 12°F at the bottom of winter. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early April until roughly late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Rice Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A ramp is mapped within half a mile. The nearest car park is half a mile from the water. Public data records a pier about half a mile out. Toilets are half a mile away, which matters on a long session. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. If the gate is shut, Fish Lake at 1.6 miles is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Rice Lake for certain.