Fishing at Fish Lake, Scott County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Fish Lake sits in Scott County, out in Minnesota. Everything around it is lake country bush. With some 169 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. There is roughly 2.1 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Ground here is low by Minnesota standards. The closest town, Prior Lake, is 4.7 miles away. For a city, Minneapolis is 25 miles off. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Fish Lake

  Survey data gives a maximum of roughly 32 feet. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Public occurrence data for Scott County names bluegill, largemouth bass and black crappie. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Fish Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 11°F in January to roughly 71°F in July. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early April. Expect the water usable from around early April until roughly late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Fish Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. You will be walking about half a mile from the nearest car park. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Cynthia Lake is 1.6 miles off. Treat access at Fish Lake as something to verify.