Budd Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Martin County, Budd Lake is a Minnesota water. It lies 1,148 feet above sea level. The water covers some 225 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. At about 6.7 miles of edge, most people work one arm at a time. Nearest place of any size is Fairmont, 0.9 miles away. Sherburn follows at 13 miles, then Truman at 13 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Budd Lake

  Depth records show about 23 feet at the bottom of the basin. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Martin County include common carp, yellow perch and black bullhead. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Read Budd Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 72°F for July and 13°F for January. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Count the season from break-up, usually early April. Break-up near early April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. The season on Budd Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Parking sits 0.9 miles out, which makes for a walk with tackle. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. For walleye, a jig and minnow near the bottom is the standard; evenings beat middays. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Luedtke Slough, 0.7 miles away. None of that is settled for Budd Lake in what we hold.