Rice Lake Fishing near Princeton, Minnesota

• Overview

  Rice Lake sits within Mille Lacs County in Minnesota. The water sits 961 feet up. It runs to roughly 58 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline comes to about 1.8 miles, small enough to learn in a day. It is low-lying compared with other Minnesota water we list. Princeton sits 3.4 miles from the bank. Zimmerman lies 9.4 miles off, Milaca another 13 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Mille Lacs County include largemouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, bluegill and black crappie. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Rice Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 71°F in July and bottoms out near 10°F in January. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early April. Ice clears near early April and comes back about late November in a typical year. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan around that when you fish Rice Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Public data has parking about half a mile from the shore. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Fog Lake, 3.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Rice Lake for certain.