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Fishing Upper Rice: what the data says
1,523-acre lake near Clearwater County. The lake tops out around 10 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Walleye fishing at Upper Rice
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 3 to 10 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for fall walleye. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Northern Pike fishing at Upper Rice
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 10 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Upper Rice
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Upper Rice
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Bluegill fishing at Upper Rice
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. They move out to 3 to 10 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 10 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Brown Bullhead fishing at Upper Rice
Spring brown bullhead on Upper Rice hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 3 to 10 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 10 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for brown bullhead in winter. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday |
Upper Rice also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 10 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 5 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Upper Rice?
Upper Rice is about 10 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Upper Rice?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, bluegill, yellow perch, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Upper Rice.
Where is the best fishing spot on Upper Rice?
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Upper Rice?
For walleye, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Minerva · Walker Brook · Moose · Rockstad · LaSalle · Big LaSalle
See how Upper Rice stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best walleye lakes in Minnesota · best northern pike lakes in Minnesota · best bluegill lakes in Minnesota
Browse all Minnesota fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.