Fishing Getchell Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Out in Stearns County, Minnesota, sits Getchell Lake. The surface lies 1,165 feet up. The water covers some 71 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 1.4 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Nearest place of any size is Albany, 5.8 miles away. It is 81 miles to Minneapolis, the nearest city. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Getchell Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Stearns County include largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike and walleye. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. On Getchell Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 10°F to 71°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. After early April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. The season on Getchell Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. For a change of water, Sand Lake is 1.6 miles distant. For Getchell Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.