Fishing Hart Lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Hennepin County, Minnesota, is where Hart Lake sits. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. At roughly 8 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. On size it sits at the modest end of our Hennepin County list. Saint Anthony sits 1.3 miles from the bank. Beyond it, Columbia Heights at 1.6 miles and New Brighton at 2.5 miles. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Hart Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Hennepin County include bluegill, common carp, largemouth bass and pumpkinseed. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Read Hart Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 73°F and January at 13°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early April. Climate figures give an open season running early April to early December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Hart Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Mapping shows parking within half a mile. A picnic spot sits half a mile from the bank. A toilet block sits half a mile away. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Silver Lake is 0.7 miles off. Rules at Hart Lake are worth checking on the day.