Fishing Spring Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Out in Itasca County, Minnesota, sits Spring Lake. The surface lies 1,352 feet up. About 19 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Most waters listed here for Itasca County are larger. Start from Cohasset, 8.5 miles down the road. Grand Rapids is 10 miles and Coleraine 16 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Spring Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and black crappie. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On Spring Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 67°F, the coldest about 5°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Time your trip to Spring Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Little Siseebakwet Lake sits 1.1 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Spring Lake as something to verify.