Fishing Third Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Out in Clearwater County, Minnesota, sits Third Lake. The surface lies 1,427 feet up. At about 43 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. About 1.2 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. 5.6 miles away sits Bagley, the nearest town. Fargo sits 75 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Third Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Clearwater County include bluegill, northern pike and largemouth bass. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Third Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 3°F to 67°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Third Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Second Lake is 2.1 miles off. Confirm access to Third Lake locally before you travel.