Rice Lake Fishing near Owatonna, Minnesota

• Overview

  Out in Steele County, Minnesota, sits Rice Lake. Beyond the shoreline you have lake country bush. The water covers around 606 acres, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. The outline measures near 5.4 miles, so local knowledge counts. Nothing else we list in Steele County covers more water. Start from Owatonna, 8.2 miles down the road. Rochester is the closest city, 30 miles away. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Steele County, recorded fish include largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, yellow bullhead and common carp. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Treat Rice Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 71°F at the top of summer and 12°F at the bottom of winter. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Winter locks it down, and early April brings it back. The open-water window runs from around early April to about late November in an average year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. That is the shape of the year on Rice Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Mapping shows a ramp about half a mile from the shore. You can leave the car about half a mile from the water. A camping area sits within half a mile of here. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Rickert Lake, 12 miles out. None of that is settled for Rice Lake in what we hold.