Willow Lake Fishing Guide, Hubbard County, Minnesota

• Overview

  You will find Willow Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota. Around the bank it is lake country bush. The water covers some 83 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Head to Bemidji, 20 miles away, for anything you forgot. For a city, Fargo is 98 miles off. If this one is busy: Kabekona Lake 2 miles away, Garfield Lake within 2.6 miles, Oak Lake 2.7 miles away, Horseshoe Lake within 3.2 miles and Lester Lake 3.2 miles away. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Willow Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Hubbard County list walleye, northern pike, black crappie and bluegill. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Willow Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 67°F for July and 4°F for January. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about mid November in an average year. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. At Willow Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. A platform or pier sits within half a mile. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Kabekona Lake is 2 miles off. What applies at Willow Lake may have changed since it was mapped.