Butler Lake in McLeod County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Butler Lake lies in McLeod County, Minnesota. The bank is 994 feet above sea level. Roughly 115 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The edge runs 1.7 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It is low-lying compared with other Minnesota water we list. The nearest place of any size is Winsted, 1.4 miles away. Minneapolis sits 38 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Butler Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Survey and observation records for McLeod County include largemouth bass, common carp, walleye, northern pike and bluegill. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Butler Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 72°F and January near 11°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early April. Climate figures give an open season running early April to late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Butler Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A carry of 0.9 miles from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Lake Mary sits 1.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing on Butler Lake should be assumed from this page alone.