Fishing Forecast · Minnesota · Updated July 2026

Little Rice Lake

Little Rice Lake earns a B for water quality. This forecast reads its measured clarity, depth, and trophic state — with each species' biology, the sun and moon, and today's conditions — to call when the fish move on Little Rice Lake and how to catch them.

26 ft
max depth: 7
fish species: 7.5 ft
water clarity: Mesotrophic
trophic state

Today · Sat Jul 25

★★★★★

The bite on Little Rice Lake today. Sunrise 5:47 AM, sunset 9:01 PM.

Moon: Waxing Gibbous · 84%
Major windows: 8:49 PM–10:49 PM · 9:14 AM–11:14 AM

Best day · next 2 weeks

Wed Jul 29

★★★★★

Full Moon moon (100%). Fish the major windows at 12:09 AM and 12:33 PM.

On the LakeGrade scale Little Rice Lake grades a B, with clarity at 7.5 ft and phosphorus readings still being added placing it above the Minnesota median. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

A TSI near 49 places Little Rice Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. Little Rice Lake reaches 26 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. At 123 acres, Little Rice Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 1.9 miles of shoreline. Little Rice Lake ranks 76 of 95 in Beltrami County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Full water-quality breakdown: Little Rice Lake water-quality report.

Fishing Forecast for Little Rice Lake

A multi-factor outlook built from Little Rice Lake's measured water quality — clarity, trophic state, depth, and water-body type — combined with each species' biology, seasonal patterns, and today's live weather. It flags spawn timing, where the fish hold, and the techniques that fit this lake's water, not just the moon.

Walleye

Game FishSummerSummer pattern

Fair

~70°F est.

Little Rice Lake runs 7.5 ft of clarity and grades B for water quality — a balanced clarity where both natural finesse and moderate reaction baits produce.

Because Little Rice Lake averages 7.5 ft of visibility (moderately clear), a balanced clarity where both natural finesse and moderate reaction baits produce.
Its mesotrophic nutrient level puts the summer weedline near 8–12 ft — that edge is the high-percentage zone to hold walleye through the warm months.
With a max depth of 26 ft, Little Rice Lake is moderately deep, so expect only a weak summer thermocline.

Techniques for moderate water

jig-and-minnowlindy/live-bait rigscrawler harnesses on the wind

Season-by-season on Little Rice Lake

Season	Where	Structure	How
Spring	shallow 3–10 ft	rock/gravel bars, warming shoreline, river mouths	jig-and-minnow, slow-rolled swimbaits
Summer	mid-depth 12–25 ft	main-lake points, mid-lake humps, weed edges	live-bait rigs, bottom bouncers/crawler harnesses
Fall	variable 8–30 ft	steep breaks and points as they feed up	jigging bigger minnows, trolling deep cranks
Winter / Ice	8–25 ft	first breaks off structure, dusk feeding windows	jigging spoons and rattle baits, deadstick minnows

Northern Pike

Game FishSummerSummer pattern

Fair

~70°F est.

Little Rice Lake runs 7.5 ft of clarity and grades B for water quality — a balanced clarity where both natural finesse and moderate reaction baits produce.

Because Little Rice Lake averages 7.5 ft of visibility (moderately clear), a balanced clarity where both natural finesse and moderate reaction baits produce.
Its mesotrophic nutrient level puts the summer weedline near 8–12 ft — that edge is the high-percentage zone to hold northern pike through the warm months.
With a max depth of 26 ft, Little Rice Lake is moderately deep, so expect only a weak summer thermocline.

Techniques for moderate water

spoons & spinnerbaitslarge soft swimbaits

Season-by-season on Little Rice Lake

Season	Where	Structure	How
Spring	shallow 2–8 ft	weedy bays, marsh mouths, warming flats	spoons, spinnerbaits, big soft plastics
Summer	weed edges 6–18 ft; big pike deeper/cooler	cabbage/coontail edges, deep weedlines, cool water	large spoons, jerkbaits, dead-bait for big fish
Fall	variable 6–25 ft	deep weed edges, drop-offs, cisco/tullibee lakes	big swimbaits, sucker/dead-bait rigs — trophy season
Winter / Ice	6–20 ft	weed edges and flats	tip-ups with large shiners/suckers

Black Crappie

PanfishSummerSummer pattern

Very Good

~70°F est.

Little Rice Lake runs 7.5 ft of clarity and grades B for water quality — a balanced clarity where both natural finesse and moderate reaction baits produce.

Because Little Rice Lake averages 7.5 ft of visibility (moderately clear), a balanced clarity where both natural finesse and moderate reaction baits produce.
Its mesotrophic nutrient level puts the summer weedline near 8–12 ft — that edge is the high-percentage zone to hold black crappie through the warm months.
With a max depth of 26 ft, Little Rice Lake is moderately deep, so expect only a weak summer thermocline.

Techniques for moderate water

small jigs & slip-bobbers on coverminnows

Season-by-season on Little Rice Lake

Season	Where	Structure	How
Spring	shallow 2–8 ft	brush, timber, weed edges in staging bays	small jigs & minnows under a float
Summer	suspended 8–20 ft	suspends over deeper water, near brush/timber	slip-bobbers, small jigs, spider-rigging
Fall	mid 10–20 ft	brush and channel edges	vertical jigging small plastics
Winter / Ice	10–25 ft	basin and deep brush — suspend and roam	tungsten jigs & minnows; dusk bite

Yellow Perch

PanfishSummerSummer pattern

Very Good

~70°F est.

Little Rice Lake runs 7.5 ft of clarity and grades B for water quality — a balanced clarity where both natural finesse and moderate reaction baits produce.

Because Little Rice Lake averages 7.5 ft of visibility (moderately clear), a balanced clarity where both natural finesse and moderate reaction baits produce.
Its mesotrophic nutrient level puts the summer weedline near 8–12 ft — that edge is the high-percentage zone to hold yellow perch through the warm months.
With a max depth of 26 ft, Little Rice Lake is moderately deep, so expect only a weak summer thermocline.

Techniques for moderate water

jig-and-minnow on flatssmall spoons

Season-by-season on Little Rice Lake

Season	Where	Structure	How
Spring	shallow 4–12 ft	weedy/soft-bottom flats, spawning cover	small jigs, minnows, worms
Summer	mid 10–25 ft	sand and gravel flats, weed edges	drop-shot & jigs with minnows/plastics
Fall	mid-to-deep 15–35 ft	basin flats — schools pack up	jigging small spoons and minnows
Winter / Ice	15–35 ft	deep flats and basin	tungsten jigs and small spoons — a top ice target

The outlook is a transparent heuristic weighting of established angling factors, this lake's measured water quality, and live conditions — not a validated catch predictor. Water temperature is estimated from season and latitude unless a recent USGS gauge reading is available. Planning a meal? Check fish-consumption advisories for Little Rice Lake. Always follow current state regulations.

14-Day Fishing Calendar

Plan the next two weeks on Little Rice Lake. Anglers target black crappie, brown bullhead, northern pike, walleye, and others on Little Rice Lake.

Date	Rating	Moon	Sunrise	Sunset	Major Periods	Minor Periods
Sat, Jul 25	☆☆☆☆☆	Waxing Gibbous 84% lit	5:47 AM	9:01 PM	8:49 PM – 10:49 PM 9:14 AM – 11:14 AM	1:07 AM – 2:07 AM 6:24 PM – 7:24 PM
Sun, Jul 26	½☆☆☆☆	Waxing Gibbous 91% lit	5:48 AM	9:00 PM	9:39 PM – 11:39 PM 10:05 AM – 12:05 PM	1:55 AM – 2:55 AM
Mon, Jul 27	★☆☆☆☆	Waxing Gibbous 96% lit	5:49 AM	8:59 PM	10:30 PM – 12:30 AM 10:56 AM – 12:56 PM	7:12 PM – 8:12 PM 2:52 AM – 3:52 AM
Tue, Jul 28	★★☆☆☆	Waxing Gibbous 99% lit	5:51 AM	8:58 PM	11:20 PM – 1:20 AM 11:45 AM – 1:45 PM	7:50 PM – 8:50 PM 3:56 AM – 4:56 AM
Wed, Jul 29	★★½☆☆	Full Moon 100% lit	5:52 AM	8:56 PM	12:09 AM – 2:09 AM 12:33 PM – 2:33 PM	8:20 PM – 9:20 PM 5:06 AM – 6:06 AM
Thu, Jul 30	★★☆☆☆	Waning Gibbous 99% lit	5:53 AM	8:55 PM	12:56 AM – 2:56 AM 1:19 PM – 3:19 PM	8:44 PM – 9:44 PM 6:18 AM – 7:18 AM
Fri, Jul 31	★☆☆☆☆	Waning Gibbous 95% lit	5:54 AM	8:54 PM	1:41 AM – 3:41 AM 2:03 PM – 4:03 PM	9:04 PM – 10:04 PM 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Sat, Aug 1	½☆☆☆☆	Waning Gibbous 89% lit	5:56 AM	8:52 PM	2:25 AM – 4:25 AM 2:46 PM – 4:46 PM	9:21 PM – 10:21 PM 8:42 AM – 9:42 AM
Sun, Aug 2	☆☆☆☆☆	Waning Gibbous 82% lit	5:57 AM	8:51 PM	3:08 AM – 5:08 AM 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM	9:36 PM – 10:36 PM 9:54 AM – 10:54 AM
Mon, Aug 3	★½☆☆☆	Waning Gibbous 73% lit	5:58 AM	8:50 PM	3:52 AM – 5:52 AM 4:15 PM – 6:15 PM	9:52 PM – 10:52 PM 11:08 AM – 12:08 PM
Tue, Aug 4	★★☆☆☆	Waning Gibbous 63% lit	6:00 AM	8:48 PM	4:38 AM – 6:38 AM 5:02 PM – 7:02 PM	10:08 PM – 11:08 PM 12:24 PM – 1:24 PM
Wed, Aug 5	★★☆☆☆	Last Quarter 53% lit	6:01 AM	8:47 PM	5:27 AM – 7:27 AM 5:53 PM – 7:53 PM	10:28 PM – 11:28 PM 1:44 PM – 2:44 PM
Thu, Aug 6	★☆☆☆☆	Last Quarter 42% lit	6:02 AM	8:45 PM	6:20 AM – 8:20 AM	10:52 PM – 11:52 PM 3:05 PM – 4:05 PM
Fri, Aug 7	☆☆☆☆☆	Waning Crescent 32% lit	6:03 AM	8:44 PM	6:49 PM – 8:49 PM 7:18 AM – 9:18 AM	11:25 PM – 12:25 AM 4:24 PM – 5:24 PM

Server-rendered 14-day calendar starting 2026-07-25. Live in your browser shortly.

Methodology

How this forecast works

A plain solunar table only knows the moon. The LakeQuality Fishing Forecast starts there and adds what actually decides where and how fish bite on Little Rice Lake — factors we measure rather than guess:

Water clarity — Little Rice Lake's Secchi reading flips the playbook between clear-water finesse and stained-water reaction baits, and sets the low-light bite window.
Trophic state & depth — nutrient level and max depth set the summer weedline and whether the lake stratifies, which tells you how deep to fish.
Water-body type — natural lake vs. reservoir changes the structure that holds fish.
Species & season — each species' spawn-temperature window and seasonal movements, matched to the lake's estimated water temperature.
Sun & moon — the solunar major/minor periods and dawn/dusk twilight in the calendar below.

The species outlook is a transparent heuristic weighting of these established factors, and it now also factors in today's live conditions — wind, cloud cover, and the barometric (pressure) trend, recomputed for the current day. It's not a validated catch predictor, and water temperature is still an estimate from season and latitude unless a recent USGS gauge reading exists. It's the analysis a solunar table can't do, grounded in Little Rice Lake's real, measured water quality.

How to read the calendar

Major periods (≈2 hours) are centered on lunar transit (when the moon is highest in the sky) and lunar opposition (when the moon is directly underfoot). These are typically the strongest feeding windows.

Minor periods (≈1 hour) are centered on moonrise and moonset. They're secondary windows that often produce well — especially when they coincide with sunrise or sunset.

Day rating combines moon phase (peak near new and full moons, when lunar gravity is strongest) with the overlap of major periods and the dawn/dusk twilight. A 4–5 star day stacks all three.

At Little Rice Lake (lat 47.51°N), the longest day of the year is around June 21 with 15h 58m of daylight. The shortest is around December 21 with 8h 26m. Plan summer trips around the early-morning bite (as early as 5:00 AM) and the long evening window before sunset.

Frequently asked questions

What makes this better than a solunar fishing table for Little Rice Lake?

A solunar table only uses the moon. The LakeQuality Fishing Forecast adds Little Rice Lake's measured water quality — its moderate clarity, trophic state, depth, and water-body type — matched to each species' spawn window and seasonal movements. That measured data drives where the fish hold and which techniques fit this lake's water, then the solunar calendar below adds the sun/moon timing. It's a transparent, multi-factor outlook, not a validated catch guarantee.

What is the best time to fish Little Rice Lake today?

Today's solunar calendar for Little Rice Lake (lat 47.51, lon -94.54) shows sunrise at 5:47 AM and sunset at 9:01 PM. The strongest fishing windows are around major solunar periods at 8:49 PM–10:49 PM and 9:14 AM–11:14 AM, plus the 30-90 minutes around dawn and dusk.

What does the moon phase mean for fishing Little Rice Lake?

Solunar theory holds that fish activity peaks during major periods (when the moon is overhead or directly underfoot) and minor periods (moonrise and moonset). Fish feeding tends to intensify during the days surrounding the new moon and full moon, when lunar gravity is strongest. Today's moon at Little Rice Lake is Waxing Gibbous (84% illuminated).

When are the longest and shortest days at Little Rice Lake?

At Little Rice Lake's latitude (47.51°N), the longest day of the year is around June 21 with about 15h 58m of daylight. The shortest day is around December 21 with about 8h 26m of daylight. Sunrise and sunset shift by roughly 6 hours between solstices.

Are major or minor solunar periods more important?

Major periods (about 2 hours, centered on lunar transit and lunar opposition) are generally considered the strongest feeding windows. Minor periods (about 1 hour, centered on moonrise and moonset) are secondary but still productive — especially when they overlap with sunrise or sunset.

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The species outlook is a transparent, multi-factor heuristic built from Little Rice Lake's measured water quality (clarity, trophic state, depth, water-body type) and established species biology, and it now also factors in today's live conditions — wind, cloud cover, and the barometric (pressure) trend, recomputed for the current day. It's not a validated catch predictor, and water temperature is still an estimate from season and latitude unless a recent USGS gauge reading is available. Solunar times use lat/lon and Meeus astronomical formulas, shown in Central Time. Always check local regulations and current conditions before fishing.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

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