Fishing at Goodners Lake, Stearns County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Goodners Lake is a Stearns County water, Minnesota side. Rolling bush runs right down to the water. It measures about 190 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 2.7 miles on foot. Start from Cold Spring, 5.4 miles down the road. After that come Rockville at 6.1 miles and Richmond at 8.3 miles. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Goodners Lake

  Sounding records show water to about 23 feet. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Stearns County include largemouth bass, bluegill and northern pike. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of Goodners Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 71°F in July and bottoms out near 10°F in January. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Break-up comes around early April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Ice clears near early April and comes back about late November in a typical year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Goodners Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Island Lake, 1.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the current arrangement for Goodners Lake.