Billys Lake Fishing Guide, Pine County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Billys Lake is set in Pine County, Minnesota. The water sits 981 feet up. At 10 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Pine County list. The town to know is Sandstone, 22 miles out. Grantsburg is 23 miles and Hinckley 26 miles. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Billys Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Fish documented in Pine County include northern pike, bluegill, largemouth bass and black crappie. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Billys Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 68°F for July and 9°F for January. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly late November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. On Billys Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. A campsite lies half a mile away for anyone staying over. The water borders St. Croix State Forest, so expect the reserve rules to apply. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Rock Lake at 0.4 miles is the sensible second choice. Nothing on Billys Lake should be assumed from this page alone.