Fishing Windy Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Windy Lake lies in Aitkin County, in Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,306 feet. With some 94 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Shoreline comes to about 1.6 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Cohasset sits 23 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Minneapolis is the closest city, 139 miles away. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Windy Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in Aitkin County include northern pike, bluegill, yellow perch, black crappie and largemouth bass. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Read Windy Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 6°F in January up to 67°F in July. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. On average, mid April opens the water and late November closes it again. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Time your trip to Windy Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Ahsebun Lake, 1.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position on Windy Lake before loading the car.