Fishing Tansem Lake in Clay County, Minnesota

• Overview

  You will find Tansem Lake in Clay County, Minnesota. The water sits 1,260 feet up. Around 30 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. It is a small entry by Clay County standards. The nearest town is Pelican Rapids, 9 miles away. Barnesville is 9.3 miles and Hawley 16 miles. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Tansem Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in Clay County include bluegill, yellow perch, black crappie, northern pike and largemouth bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Tansem Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 6°F and July at about 69°F, the water has a wide range to work through. 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. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to late November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Tansem Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Ranum Lake, 0.6 miles away. Nothing on Tansem Lake should be assumed from this page alone.