Fishing Great Northern Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Set in Stearns County, Minnesota, this is Great Northern Lake. Around the bank it is lake country bush. It runs to roughly 198 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. It ranks high for size among our Stearns County listings. The nearest town is Cold Spring, 2.2 miles away. Further out sit Richmond (2.6 miles) and Rockville (6.6 miles). This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Great Northern Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike, walleye and black crappie. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Great Northern Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 10°F to 72°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Winter locks it down, and early April brings it back. The season between ice runs from about early April to late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. That is the shape of the year on Great Northern Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. 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. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. If the gate is shut, Krays Lake at 0.5 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm before you fish Great Northern Lake.