Chub Lake near Elko New Market: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Look for Chub Lake in Dakota County, Minnesota. The bank gives way to rolling bush. Roughly 224 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The margin runs to about 3.2 miles in total. Size puts it in the front rank of our Dakota County list. Elko New Market lies 5.3 miles from the water. Lakeville is 6 miles and Farmington 6.3 miles. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Chub Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Dakota County include bluegill, common carp, green sunfish and black crappie. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Treat Chub Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 71°F on average, January about 12°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The open-water window runs from around early April to about late November in an average year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. It holds true on Chub Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. The water borders Chub Lake Wildlife Management Area, so expect the reserve rules to apply. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Rice Lake at 4 miles is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Chub Lake for certain.