Upper Rice Lake Fishing near Braham, Minnesota

• Overview

  Upper Rice Lake belongs to Isanti County, Minnesota. Mixed forest runs right down to the water. Roughly 139 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Some 3.5 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Minnesota listings. The closest town, Braham, is 2.9 miles distant. Further out sit Cambridge (10 miles) and Mora (11 miles). The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Upper Rice Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Open biodiversity records for Isanti County list largemouth bass, yellow perch and bluegill. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Upper Rice Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 69°F and January near 9°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. On Upper Rice Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Rice Lake is 1.6 miles distant. None of that is settled for Upper Rice Lake in what we hold.