Fishing at Straight Lake, Becker County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Look for Straight Lake in Becker County, Minnesota. It lies 1,460 feet above sea level. Roughly 476 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. The shoreline runs about 8.1 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. On our Becker County list it sits near the top for size. The closest town, Park Rapids, is 10 miles distant. The big place round here is Fargo, 72 miles distant. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Straight Lake

  The deepest measured water here is close to 72 feet. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Becker County records list bluegill, largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike and yellow perch among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Read Straight Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 4°F in January and 68°F in July. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. At Straight Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Failing this one, try Bog Lake, 1.1 miles away. None of that is settled for Straight Lake in what we hold.