Rice Lake Fishing in Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  The Itasca County end of Minnesota holds Rice Lake. The surface lies 1,309 feet up. The water covers around 839 acres, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. Some 7.0 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Few waters listed in Itasca County are bigger. Head to Cohasset, 34 miles away, for anything you forgot. Fargo sits 139 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Itasca County cover yellow perch, largemouth bass and northern pike. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Rice Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 66°F for July and 4°F for January. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Plan any trip to Rice Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Little Sand Lake is 1.8 miles distant. What applies at Rice Lake may have changed since it was mapped.