Cranberry Lake Fishing near Forest Lake, Minnesota

• Overview

  Set in Washington County, Minnesota, this is Cranberry Lake. The country here is lake country bush. Small at around 20 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for Washington County are larger. The nearest town is Forest Lake, 3.5 miles away. The big place round here is Saint Paul, 24 miles distant. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Cranberry Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Reported across Washington County: bluegill, largemouth bass and brown trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Cranberry Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 71°F, while January sits near 11°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early April. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly late November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Cranberry Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Elwell Lake, 0.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Ask locally about Cranberry Lake if anything is unclear.