Cranberry Lake Fishing near Crosslake, Minnesota

• Overview

  Cranberry Lake is one of the Crow Wing County waters in Minnesota. This is pine and birch ground. Surface area runs to about 18 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Crow Wing County. Head to Crosslake, 5.1 miles away, for anything you forgot. Breezy Point is 12 miles and Pequot Lakes 15 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Cranberry Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Crow Wing County: largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, northern pike and pumpkinseed. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Cranberry Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 7°F to 68°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near late November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. It sets the rhythm of the year at Cranberry Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Grass Lake sits 0.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Rules at Cranberry Lake are worth checking on the day.