Spruce Lake Fishing in Itasca County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Spruce Lake sits within Itasca County in Minnesota. Elevation runs to 1,322 feet. This is a pocket water of some 8 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Most waters listed here for Itasca County are larger. Some 9.8 miles away sits Coleraine, the nearest settlement. It is 156 miles to Fargo, the nearest city. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Spruce Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Itasca County records list yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Spruce Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 5°F in January and 67°F in July. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Anyone fishing Spruce Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Pickerel Lake is 0.4 miles off. Where Spruce Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.