Fishing Rice Portage Lake in Cass County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Look for Rice Portage Lake in the Cass County part of Minnesota. The bank is 1,309 feet above sea level. Around 179 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Few waters listed in Cass County are bigger. Nearest town is Pequot Lakes, 18 miles off. After that come Crosslake at 20 miles and Breezy Point at 21 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Rice Portage Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Cass County, recorded fish include largemouth bass, yellow perch and bluegill. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Rice Portage Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 68°F and January about 6°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near late November in autumn. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. The season on Rice Portage Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Elbow Lake at 0.7 miles is the nearest alternative. Signs at Rice Portage Lake carry more weight than any list.