Cottonwood Lake in Cottonwood County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Cottonwood Lake is one of the Cottonwood County listings for Minnesota. It sits in rolling bush. It runs to roughly 155 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The bank runs about 2.2 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. 1.2 miles away sits Windom, the nearest town. The nearest city of size is Sioux Falls, 85 miles away. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Cottonwood Lake

  The basin drops to a measured 15 feet. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Cottonwood County: common carp, walleye, black bullhead, yellow perch and black crappie. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Cottonwood Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 12°F in January and 72°F in July. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early April. Open water usually runs from early April until about late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Cottonwood Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. A toilet block sits half a mile away. Wolf Lake WPA covers this ground, which means extra rules to check. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. If the gate is shut, Wolf Lake at 1.5 miles is the nearest alternative. The position on Cottonwood Lake is worth confirming on the day.