Grotes Pond in Goodhue County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Grotes Pond sits within Goodhue County in Minnesota. The ground around here is pine and birch. It runs to roughly 29 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With about 1.1 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Red Wing sits 5.5 miles from the bank. Lake City lies 10 miles off, Ellsworth another 13 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Grotes Pond

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Goodhue County, recorded fish include common carp, brown trout, rainbow trout, white bass and freshwater drum. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Work Grotes Pond in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 72°F and January at 13°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early April and starts locking again about early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That shapes the year on Grotes Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Colvill Bay sits 4.5 miles off and takes the overflow. Where Grotes Pond is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.