Fishing at Rice Lake, Kanabec County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Rice Lake is a Kanabec County water, in Minnesota. The surface lies 942 feet up. With some 41 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. About 1.0 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Minnesota listings. The nearest place of any size is Mora, 8 miles away. Braham is 9.3 miles and Milaca 15 miles. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Kanabec County include largemouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, bluegill and walleye. The county list is broader than any single water. Work Rice Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 69°F and January reads 8°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Rice Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Lewis Lake, 1.9 miles away. Nothing here settles the position at Rice Lake for certain.