Spruce Lake Fishing Guide, Crow Wing County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Spruce Lake stands in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. It sits at 1,217 feet above sea level. Small at around 11 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. On size it sits at the modest end of our Crow Wing County list. For supplies, Crosslake is 6.8 miles out. Minneapolis sits 121 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Spruce Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Species logged across Crow Wing County include largemouth bass, bluegill and yellow perch. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Fish Spruce Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 7°F and July at about 68°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. From about mid April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It holds true on Spruce Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Square Lake at 0.9 miles is the sensible second choice. Where Spruce Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.