Thirtyone Lake Fishing near Keewatin, Minnesota

• Overview

  Within Itasca County, Minnesota, you have Thirtyone Lake. Beyond the shoreline you have mixed forest. It runs to roughly 39 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. 12 miles away sits Keewatin, the nearest town. Coleraine follows at 14 miles, then Hibbing at 18 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Thirtyone Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Records held for Itasca County cover yellow perch, largemouth bass and northern pike. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Thirtyone Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 66°F for July and 5°F for January. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That shapes the year on Thirtyone Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Thirty Lake is 0.6 miles off. What applies at Thirtyone Lake may have changed since it was mapped.