Rice Lake Fishing Guide, Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Rice Lake belongs to Itasca County. The water sits 1,283 feet up. The water covers some 134 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. About 1.9 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Coleraine sits 9.1 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Grand Rapids is 9.7 miles away, with Cohasset at 14 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Itasca County, recorded fish include yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. The shape of Rice Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 67°F in July and bottoms out near 5°F in January. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Break-up sits around mid April on average, with the water closing again about late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Rice Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Eino Lake, 1.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the current arrangement for Rice Lake.