Fishing at Rice Lake, Pope County, Minnesota

• Overview

  You will find Rice Lake in Pope County, Minnesota. The setting is mixed forest on every side. It covers about 3 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. On size it sits at the modest end of our Pope County list. Glenwood sits 6 miles from the bank. The nearest city of size is Fargo, 107 miles away. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Pope County, recorded fish include largemouth bass, common carp and northern pike. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Rice Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 71°F for July and 9°F for January. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. On Rice Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Villard Lake is 0.9 miles distant. Nothing on Rice Lake should be assumed from this page alone.