Crosby Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Dakota County end of Minnesota holds Crosby Lake. It sits in mixed forest. Around 55 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. About 1.5 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Minnesota listings. Nearest place of any size is Mendota Heights, 1.6 miles away. Saint Paul sits 3.7 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Crosby Lake

  Surveys put the deepest water at about 19 feet. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in Dakota County include bluegill, common carp, green sunfish and black crappie. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Work Crosby Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 13°F in January and 73°F in July. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early April. The lid tends to go about early April and return around early December. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. The season on Crosby Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Parking is mapped about half a mile from the bank. There is a pier recorded roughly half a mile away. A rest area sits about half a mile from the water. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Treat Crosby Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.