Rice Lake Fishing near Staples, Minnesota

• Overview

  Rice Lake falls in Cass County, part of Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,247 feet. Surface area runs to about 10 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Cass County. Head to Staples, 5.4 miles away, for anything you forgot. East Gull Lake is 18 miles and Lake Shore 18 miles. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Cass County include largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Rice Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 69°F and January near 7°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Plan around that when you fish Rice Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Farber Lake, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Rice Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.