Barrows Lake in Grant County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Barrows Lake lies in Grant County, in Minnesota. Elevation runs to 1,063 feet. At about 226 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The bank runs about 2.4 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. On our Grant County list it sits near the top for size. Start from Morris, 16 miles down the road. For a city, Fargo is 83 miles off. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Barrows Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Grant County include common carp, largemouth bass and walleye. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Read Barrows Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 71°F, with January the cold end at about 9°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early April. Climate figures give an open season running early April to late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. The season on Barrows Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Graham Lake sits 1.3 miles off and takes the overflow. Ask locally about Barrows Lake if anything is unclear.