When Does Little Bass Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 18, Ice-Out Apr 16
Little Bass Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 18, and usually has ice-out around Apr 16, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 1981-2024. That works out to roughly 216 days of open water a year. These are typical dates across many winters, not a forecast — individual years swing by weeks in either direction.
Ice record for Little Bass Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 18 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 16 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 10, 2018 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Nov 26, 2024 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Apr 1, 1981 |
| Latest ice-out on record | May 5, 1996 |
| Open-water season | ~216 days |
| Winters observed | 47 |
| Location | Beltrami County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Little Bass Lake has usually iced over — it does not tell you the ice is safe, and we hold no thickness measurement for this or any lake. The Minnesota DNR is explicit that no ice is ever completely safe: thickness varies across a single lake, and current, springs, aerators, and insulating snow all weaken it. Ice that held a truck last week may not hold a person today.
Read the ice-thickness guidelines before going out, and check current conditions with the Minnesota DNR ice-safety page and local bait shops, which track conditions lake by lake.
How much the timing varies
Ice-out on Little Bass Lake has landed as early as Apr 1, 1981 and as late as May 5, 1996 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 16 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 10, 2018 to Nov 26, 2024. That year-to-year swing is why a median date is a planning tool, not a schedule. Freeze-up is driven by accumulated cold after the lake turns over in fall; ice-out by late-winter air temperature, sun angle, and how much snow sits on top of the ice reflecting it. Little Bass Lake carries an overall water-quality grade of A — the full breakdown is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 1981-2024.