East Side Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Minnesota, East Side Lake falls inside Mower County. The bank gives way to rolling bush. With some 40 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. With about 1.4 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Nearest place of any size is Austin, 1.1 miles away. Rochester is the closest city, 34 miles away. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on East Side Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Mower County: common carp, largemouth bass, white sucker, black crappie and yellow perch. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Read East Side Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 72°F for July and 12°F for January. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The lid usually goes in early April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The open-water window runs from around early April to about early December in an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. That is the shape of the year on East Side Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A made slipway is 140 yards from here, which settles the boat question. The nearest car park is 130 yards from the water. Public data records a pier about 80 yards out. A picnic spot sits half a mile from the bank. Toilets show in mapping about 170 yards away. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Failing this one, try Hickory Lake, 8.9 miles away.